Left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori took career-best one-day international figures of five for 30 as New Zealand beat the West Indies by 107 runs in the NatWest Series final at Lord’s in London on Saturday.
Man-of-the-match Vettori also effected two direct hit run-outs as the West Indies, chasing 267 to win, collapsed to 159 all out. Tino Best was one not out after Shivnarine Chanderpaul (31) holed out to Craig McMillan off Vettori with more than eight overs left.
Vettori’s figures were the best in a limited overs international at Lord’s and helped New Zealand to a ninth straight win at this level. It was the first time in the series a match had been won by the team batting first.
Earlier West Indies held New Zealand to 266 all out as the Black Caps threw away a promising position after losing the toss. New Zealand, who had been 217 for three at one stage, lost their last seven wickets for just 49 runs in 58 balls.
Leg-spinner Ramnaresh Sarwan took career-best one-day figures of three for 31 while medium-pacer Dwayne Bravo dismissed top scorers Stephen Fleming (67) and fellow opener Nathan Astle (57) in an innings twice interrupted by rain.
McMillan (52) and Hamish Marshall (44) also made handy
contributions. New Zealand captain Fleming, dropped on seven by first slip Chris Gayle off fast bowler Best, cashed in with several boundaries.
But shortly after the first rain break left-hander Fleming fell when he steered Bravo to Gayle at backward point. He faced 66 balls and hit eight boundaries.
Astle went in almost identical fashion to the same combination having cleanly struck seven fours. McMillan launched Bravo for six over long-on in the 37th of
the innings — but that was the last boundary New Zealand scored as Sarwan struck.
New Zealand started an impressive fielding display when second slip Scott Styris held a sharp catch off Jacob Oram to dismiss Gayle for four.
Sarwan made 19 before he was run out after he charged down the pitch from the non-striker’s end and could not beat Chris Harris’s throw to Styris. Lara came in at 45 for two. He put on 53 in 66 balls with Devon Smith, who made a career-best 44, before a second needless run out
saw Smith dismissed.
Smith cut Harris and saw Lara running towards him. Smith belatedly set off but could not beat Vettori’s direct hit from backward point. Then 98 for three soon become 106 for five as Vettori took two wickets for no runs in seven balls.
First he had Lara plumb lbw for 30 and then saw Bravo out for four thanks to Styris’s juggled catch at short mid-wicket. But bad light and rain then held up play for 46 minutes.
When the match resumed West Indies, on 109 for five, needed a further 158 runs from 19 overs – a run-rate of more than eight an over — to win. Chanderpaul was one not out and Ricardo Powell two not out.
However, on 18, Powell’s sliced drive off Vettori was superbly caught by Marshall, running back from short third man. Vettori struck again when Dwayne Smith was lbw for two.
Then medium-pacer Harris became the first New Zealander to take 200 one-day international wickets when he had Ridley Jacobs (one) caught at deep mid-wicket by Chris Cairns. Harris, who struck with four balls of his spell remaining, had been stuck on 199 wickets since dismissing Sachin Tendulkar at Hyderabad on November 15.
He was only the second man in history after Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya to take 200 one-day international wickets and score 4 000 one-day runs. Next ball Vettori ran out Ian Bradshaw before ending the game. – Sapa-AFP