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Kiwis on verge of final after 5-wicket win
New Zealand all but booked themselves a place in the NatWest Series final with a five-wicket win against the West Indies.
New Zealand all but booked themselves a place in the NatWest Series final with a five-wicket win against the West Indies at Sophia Gardens on Saturday.
Only a freak combination of results can now deny Stephen Fleming's men a place in the July 10 Lord's showpiece of this one-day international triangular event and they will qualify Sunday if they beat England at Bristol.
Chasing 217, New Zealand won with four overs to spare with an unobtrusive 75 not out from Hamish Marshall, the 25-year-old man-of-the match's sixth fifty in 19 one-day internationals.
Chris Cairns ended the match when he hit his first ball, from Jermaine Lawson, for four.
The Black Caps' victory continued a pattern in the series which had seen all completed matches won by the team batting second.
West Indies, who lost the toss, appeared to be bucking the trend at 180 for three in the 37th over.
But good bowling allied to naive batting saw them lose their last seven wickets for 36 runs in 60 balls despite half-centuries from captain Brian Lara (58) and Ramnaresh Sarwan (54).
Experienced seam bowler Cairns (three for 29) and series debutant Ian Butler (three for 41), a lively quick, led the Kiwi attack.
The tone for New Zealand's reply was set first ball when Lawson's no ball was square-cut for four by New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming.
Fleming then on-drove Ian Bradshaw for six. However, on 45, Fleming's miscued pull saw him caught and bowled by medium-pacer Dwayne Bravo. His 62-ball innings featured one six and four fours.
And soon afterwards the impressive Bravo bowled Scott Styris for three.
Bravo had taken two wickets for six runs in eight balls and at 121 for three West Indies were back in the game. He ended the match with three for 36.
Marshall kept scoring steadily, his fifty coming off 93 balls with just two fours.
Bravo, the competition's leading wicket-taker, then had his eighth dismissal of the tourmanent when he had Craig McMillan (22) brilliantly caught right-handed by a diving Lara at mid-off.
Earlier left-hander Lara, 35, decided to open in a one-day international for the first time since 1999.
Lara, who struck several superb boundaries through extra-cover, on 26 saw a sliced drive off Cairns dropped one-handed at backward point by McMillan.
In blustery conditions, Lara reached fifty in style with a straight six off paceman Jacob Oram.
His half-century came in just 53 balls with 42 runs (a six and nine fours) coming in boundaries.
But Lara, having scored at a run-a-ball, was deceived by Cairns's slower ball and was well caught by Fleming, diving forward, at mid-on.
Sarwan, who lofted left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori for six, fell when he was caught chipping to Fleming at mid-on off Cairns.
He faced 67 balls and also struck four fours as the innings, complete with two wasteful run-outs, started to fold around him.
New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (capt), Nathan Astle, Hamish Marshall, Scott Styris, Craig McMillan, Jacob Oram, Chris Cairns, Gareth Hopkins (wkt), Daniel Vettori, Ian Butler, James Franklin.
West Indies: Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Smith, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brian Lara (capt), Dwayne Bravo, Ricardo Powell, Carlton Baugh (wkt), Ian Bradshaw, Tino Best, Jermaine Lawson.
Umpires: Rudi Koertzen (RSA), David Shepherd (ENG).
TV umpire: Nigel Llong (ENG).
Match referee: Gundappa Viswanath (IND).
