Group B: New Zealand v West Indies Southampton - 24 May 1999 CricInfo report by John Houlihan |
The game opened in overcast but dry conditions at Hampshire's Northlands
ground which was staging its first every One-Day international. The West
Indies were buoyed by the return of their hugely experienced opening attack
and Curtly Ambrose's value to the side was immediately underlined, when he
found the edge of Nathan Astle's bat, who was caught by keeper Ridley Jacobs
for just 2. Walsh made a further breakthrough in the fifth over, when Matt
Horne misjudged a pull shot which looped up into the safe hands of Brian
Lara at mid-on.
With both openers gone, Ambrose and Walsh continued to keep a tight reign on
the Kiwi batsmen, bowling a nagging line and consistently beating the
outside edge. With a combined age of 71 and over 400 One-Day international
wickets between them, West Indies stalwarts Walsh and Ambrose were indeed
living proof of the maxim, there's many a good tune played on an old fiddle.
But when young paceman Reon King replaced Walsh he struck immediately,
ending Stephen Fleming's miserable 17 ball duck and giving the ever reliable
Jacobs another catch.
The West Indies pacemen continued to dominate, with Ambrose loping in like a
panther from the Northlands Road end and finding both pace and bounce. King'
s raw pace also troubled the New Zealanders and Roger Twose, whose gutsy
innings had proved crucial against the Aussies was caught by Stuart Williams
at slip off King for a duck, to leave the Kiwis struggling at 31-4.
In cool, overcast conditions, the Kiwi's total crept along, but they had to
wait until the 21st over to post their first boundary when Craig McMillan,
cut King past point for four. Ambrose was magnificent in his opening spell
and bowled clean through to finish with impressive figures of 10-0-19-1. As
New Zealand posted their first fifty, McMillan and Chris Cairns began to
chance their arm and play a few shots, but Phil Simmons nipped in to have
McMillan well caught behind for 32 and stifle Kiwi hopes at 59-5
Mervyn Dillon the final bowler of the West Indies pace quartet was
introduced and soon struck, catching Cairns trying to work the ball through
the on-side and spooning up an easy catch to Brian Lara again. At 75-6 and
with only two batsman making scores of any significance, the Kiwi's
brilliant start to their World Cup campaign was beginning to falter.
Adam Parore and Chris Harris began a rescue bid with a defiant seventh
wicket partnership which was worth fifty in ten overs, but Parore perished
soon after, strangled down the leg side off Dillon to leave the Kiwis at a
parlous 125-7. As the game entered the final ten overs, New Zealand were
desperate to post at least a competitive total, but the returning Walsh kept
things tight as a lone Windies supporter goaded him with a shout of "Take a
break man, you're looking tired". Walsh responded by producing one of the
fastest balls of the day which beat the bat and positively thudded into
Jacob's gloves. Dion Nash chipped Dillon into the waiting arms of Stuart
Williams at Short Square Leg for just 1, but Harris continued to play well,
supported by Gavin Larsen as the pair edged New Zealand toward if not
safety, at least respectability.
With Phil Simmons and Mervyn Dillon bowling in tandem at the death, Gavin
Larsen attempted to pull Dillon and gave Ridley Jacobs the easiest of
chances which allowed him to equal the World Cup record for both the number
of catches and dismissals by a Wicket- Keeper. Just one over later, Harris
attempted to flick Dillon for six over deep square leg and was pouched by
Sherwin Campbell to leave the Kiwis despondent as they recorded 156 all out,
their lowest ever total in World Cup competition.
New Zealand needed early wickets to put the West Indies under pressure, but
Sherwin Campbell and Ridley Jacobs played solidly, as they looked to blunt
the new-ball attack of Dion Nash and Geoff Allott. Nash had a huge appeal
for LBW against Jacobs turned down, but that was about as close as the Kiwis
got to making an early breakthrough.
The West Indians certainly weren't at their most fluent, but appeared
relatively untroubled, until Sherwin Campbell fell leg-before to Nash for
eight with the score on 29. To cries of "Go Kiwi, go!" from their fans in
the south west stand, the New Zealanders began to turn the screw and with
some tight bowling from Nash and Cairns, the Windies' run-rate slowly began
to stagnate.
Gavin Larsen was brought on to tighten up proceedings, but the arrival of
the drinks cart sparked a mini pitch invasion as a radio controlled car
buzzed the wicket which at least raised a few cheers from the somnolent
crowd. Jacobs and Jimmy Adams continued their slow but steady progress with
a few minor alarms, but with the score on 49, Geoff Allott found the edge of
Adams' bat who was caught behind and departed for a turgid 3 from 29 balls.
With Brian Lara arriving in the middle, the Windies posted their fifty and
the target was soon reduced to under a hundred when Jacobs smote Larson for
a straight six. With the sun beating down, Jacobs started to accelerate and
began playing some powerful shots, with Lara starting cautiously, but soon
easing some trademark boundaries of his own. Lara gave a chance when he
flashed hard at Cairns with the edge just evaded the flying Keeper, but
Ridley Jacobs advanced towards his fifty which was made from 88 balls and
included seven fours.
With Jacobs and Lara at the crease, West Indies looked to be coasting to a
convincing win in the early evening sunshine, but Lara perished in the 36th
over, giving Harris the charge and skying the ball to Dion Nash who ran
around to collect at wide mid-on. Lara made 36 with 4 fours and one six and
his 72 run partnership with Jacobs provided the backbone of the West Indies'
run chase. With Stuart Williams joining him, there was just time for Jacobs
to loft Allott for another six and finish unbeaten on a career best 80, as
the fourth wicket pair saw the Windies home without further alarms.
In-form New Zealand were crushed by the West Indies at Southampton as the
men from the Caribbean romped home by seven wickets to record their second
win of the tournament and secure vital qualification points toward the super
six stage. Wicket-Keeper Ridley Jacobs was the man of the match on the back
of a world record equalling five catches and a sparkling unbeaten 80 which
provided the backbone of the Windies' run chase.