West Indies punch-drunk

Wellington - The West Indian cricketers must feel rather like some heavyweight boxing champion's punch-bag.

Yesterday they were pummelled into another clear-cut defeat by New Zealand, who have now gone 4-0 up in the five-match One-Day International series.

There were several times when the West Indians seemed to have broken the hosts' tight grip when the fourth One-Dayer began on Saturday at Wellington's new stadium, was stopped after 10.5 overs, and then resumed yesterday.

Yesterday afternoon West Indies reached 43 for one wicket in reasonable shape, with Ridley Jacobs and Jimmy Adams looking sound.

But the pitch, while covered, was obviously affected by the persistent rain. When play resumed the pitch, which was never used before, and the heavy cold atmosphere gave the New Zealand slow and slow-medium bowlers ridiculous help.

Chris Harris strangled the batsmen with his 10-3-15-1 spell, about the time Daniel Vettori was making the ball fizz and pop awkwardly.

The West Indians never escaped from this barrage of punches and reached only 171.

They needed all the luck in the world to defend that with an ill-planned bowling attack.

Mervyn Dillon and Reon King did snatch early wickets - Craig Spearman in the first over, Stephen Fleming in the sixth - but Nathan Astle (76 not out) and Roger Twose (68 not out) breezed home against bowling, and catching, which looked decidedly punch-drunk.

It is being wise after the event to say West Indies would certainly have done better with a different bowling attack.

Pedro Collins, who had not played for a month, looked suitably rusty, while Courtney Walsh, who would have worked some magic from such a helpful pitch, sat inactive in the dressing room.

Dinanath Ramnarine, the leg-spinner, would have caused all manner of mischief on this totally unsuitable pitch, but he, too, stayed in the dressing room.

Even so, West Indies might well have suffered less than a complete knockout had their catching been better.

Adams started them off with a brilliant leap to snare Fleming. Then came disaster. In the space of ten minutes Wavell Hinds put down a reasonable chance from Astle at long-leg from Collins' bowling, and King muffed an easy chance from Twose at mid-off from Dillon's bowling.

Both batsmen were short of 20 when offered their second lives. Astle was 62 and the match virtually over when he offered another chance to long-leg from Dillon - and this time Adams, of all people, let the catch slip through his hands and the ball bounced away for four.

In between these bonuses Astle and Twose kept hitting the West Indians with solid, well-planned punches.

Astle, in his 100th One-Day International, hit nine fours and Twose seven. Their unbroken stand for the third wicket reached 149, the highest stand for any wicket by New Zealand against West Indies.

The New Zealand batsmen were quick, too, to realise that their first aim must be survival and then the runs might come later.

Again the inexperienced West Indian youngsters, especially Ricardo Powell and Wavell Hinds, were too eager to score quickly, without building a defensive base.

Hinds, for example, skied Vettori to Craig McMillan at long-off, where McMillan dropped the catch.

Within a few minutes the batsman repeated the stroke, and this time McMillan thankfully corrected his earlier error.

This, however, could not excuse the provision of a pitch quite unsuitable for international cricket. The new Wellington stadium is an impressive sight, and the outfield, while a little short on the sides, was in good if slow condition.

The pitch was laid last April and evidently had a good take of grass.

Perhaps too good, for when the ground staff made their final preparation they were forced to drop the mower blades very low to take the grassy tinge from the pitch.

This left a reasonably firm surface, but with tufts of grass-root structure which made the ball grip and bounce crazily.