[www.inewsguyana.com] – West Indies nose-dived, in typical dramatic fashion, to a humiliating innings and 73 runs defeat against New Zealand on the third day of the second test at Basin Reserve on Friday.
Seamer Trent Boult delivered career-best figures of 10 for 80 to lead the demolition as West Indies succumbed inside three days to gift New Zealand their first Test victory in more than a year.
The 24-year-old Boult who took six for 40, including five wickets in 15 balls, to help bowl the West Indies out for 193 in the first innings also took four for 40 in their second innings of 175 to put the hosts 1-0 up in the three-match series.
Resuming from their overnight total of 158 for four, in reply to New Zealand’s 441, the Windies were bowled out about an hour after the rescheduled start and were forced to follow on for the second straight Test.
The Caribbean side appeared to be setting the stage for another gallant fight back after a solid start from openers Kirk Edwards and Kieran Powell which produced 74 runs.
But Bolt accounted for nine of the 16 wickets on the third day as West Indian batsmen were unable to adjust to his swing bowling aided by favourable overhead and ground conditions which allowed him to grab six for 40 from 15 overs in the first innings and four for 40 from 12.5 overs in the second innings.
Powell was bowled off the inside edge by Tim Southee for the top score of 36 before left-arm fast-medium bowler Neil Wagner had Darren Bravo caught behind for a second-ball duck, leaving West Indies 75 for two.
Edwards was soon caught at gully off Southee for 35 and Samuels was caught at third slip off the same bowler for 12, sinking West Indies to 94 for four.
They reached 135 for five, after Narsingh Deonarine was bowled for 12, when he dragged a delivery from Boult into his stumps.
After the tea break, there was token resistance from the remainder of the batting when Boult hurled himself full length to his left to a full-blooded cut shot from Denesh Ramdin that sparked the second innings collapse.
Darren Sammy was then trapped in front by Boult for a duck, giving the West Indian captain a pair for the match, before Shane Shillingford was caught by Ross Taylor at first slip for one off Neil Wagner.
Only Tino Best with a typical tail-ender’s flourish reached 20 before Boult brought the curtain down when he bowled Gabriel for a second-ball duck, leaving Shivnarine Chanderpaul not out on 31.
The victory was the first for New Zealand since Brendon McCullum took over as captain late last year.
The defeat meant that West Indies now trail 0-1 in the three-match series, following a draw in the first Test which ended last Saturday at University Oval in Dunedin.
The result also meant that the Windies have lost three of their last four Tests inside three days, following similar setbacks in the preceding two-Test, farewell series for retired Indian batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar in India.
West Indies have a chance for redemption when the final Test starts Thursday at Seddon Park in the riverside city of Hamilton.
