Cairns cameo carves slender lead

Stephen Fleming, Chris Cairns and Craig McMillan all scored half-centuries but didn’t carry on to three figures when it looked like New Zealand could build a useful first innings lead.

New Zealand started the day on 113 for three, with Fleming and nightwatchman Vettori together.

The pair started solidly, adding 49 to the overnight score before Vettori, on 29, cut Reon King straight to Jimmy Adams at point. They had added 55 for the fourth wicket, with Vettori more than doing his job by batting 84 minutes.

Fleming continued impressively, going to lunch on 52, his 22nd Test half-century. But on 66 he tried to cut leg-spinner Dinanth Ramnarine and touched an edge to wicket keeperRidley Jacobs to end his 227-minute innings.Nathan Astle had helped Fleming add 53 for the fifth wicket and carried on the momentum, looking likely to post his ninth Test 50 until he mistimed a hook on 48 off a Courtney Walsh bouncer and lobbed it to Ramnarine at square leg.

McMillan was joined by Cairns, who almost ran himself out off the first ball he faced when Shivnarine Chanderpaul made a direct hit. He was given not out after a long deliberation by third umpire Dave Quested. Cairns then took over, bringing up his 50 off 50 balls in 73 minutes, but on the way had another slice of luck when he was caught at second slip off a Franklyn Rose no-ball on 15. He moved to 72, and as the field spread and cut down his options, he tried to hit Ramnarine over long off but found the safe hands of Sherwin Campbell instead.

Cairns faced just 82 balls and batted for 123 minutes, hitting nine fours and two sixes.

He and McMillan added 116 for the seventh wicket in 121 minutes, with Cairns scoring the first 37 runsof the partnership before McMillan made a contribution.

McMillan later brought up his 50 off 127 balls in just over three hours but next ball hit a thick edge to Jacobs off King.

Nine runs later Adam Parore was run out on a tight third umpire call and Dion Nash was caught at second slip off King for six to end the innings.King, who took his first Test wicket yesterday playing in his second Test, was the best West Indies bowler with 4-81 off 26.2 overs.

Walsh moved within 10 wickets of Kapil Dev’s World Test record of 434 with his 2-81 off 29.

scoreboard
West Indies (1st innings) 365
New Zealand (1st innings)
Stead b Walsh 22
M Horne c Rose b King 32
C Spearman b Ramnarine 27
S Fleming c Jacobs b Ramnarine 66
D Vettori c Adams b King 29
N Astle c Ramnarine b Walsh 48
C McMillan c Jacobs b King 51
C Cairns c Campbell b Ramnarine 72
Adam Parore run out 8
D Nash c Powell b King 6
P Wiseman not out 0
Extras (4b, 9lb, 16nb, 3w) 32
Total (all outin 130.2 overs) 393
Fall of wickets: 1-61, 2-67, 3-107, 4-162, 5-215, 6-258,7-374, 8-379, 9-388
Bowling: Walsh 29-4-81-2, Rose 27-4-103-0, Ramnarine 36-10-82-3, King 26.2-2-81-4, Powell 5-2-13-0, Adams 7-1-20-0.
West Indies (2nd innings)
Sherwin Campbell batting 0
Adrian Griffith batting 0
Total (in 1 over) 0
Bowling: Vettori 1-1-0-0.