WELLINGTON, (Reuters) – Seamer Trent Boult delivered career-best figures of 10-80 as New Zealand thrashed West Indies by an innings and 73 runs inside three days to complete their first test victory in more than a year last night.
The 24-year-old Boult had taken 6-40, including five wickets in 15 balls, to help bowl the West Indies out for 193 in the first innings of the second test, then took 4-40 in their second innings of 175 to put the hosts 1-0 up in the three-match series.
The left-armer, who scored 38 not out while batting at number 11 in New Zealand’s 441, completed a remarkable match when he dived full length to his left to a full-blooded cut shot from Denesh Ramdin that sparked the second innings collapse after tea.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul was left on 31 not out after Tino Best’s flamboyant counter-attacking innings of unorthodox shots was ended by Boult on 21 runs, while Shannon Gabriel was bowled by the seamer for a duck to end the game at about 1625 (0325 GMT).
The victory was the first for New Zealand since Brendon McCullum took over as captain late last year. They had drawn six and lost four of their previous 10 tests before the victory inside three days at the Basin Reserve.
The win no doubt expunged the frustration they experienced in the drawn first test at University Oval in Dunedin when they required 33 more runs to reach the 112 victory target only for rain to wash out the final session on the fifth day.
It also puts them in strong shape to win their first test series against a major cricketing nation since 2006, when they beat West Indies 2-0 in a three test series at home.
Since then they have only beaten Bangladesh or Zimbabwe in test series.
TAILS UP
New Zealand’s pace bowlers had shared the workload yesterday as they captured 16 wickets in 67.4 overs, with Boult ripping through the West Indies batting order in their first innings.
Tim Southee then captured three second innings wickets in quick succession after lunch to put the home side into a strong position to win the test before Boult’s catch lifted the team and allowed them to run through the tail.
The visitors were 135 for five when they resumed after tea with Chanderpaul (18) and Ramdin (15), still 113 runs from making the hosts bat again.
Ramdin’s dismissal for 19 shortly after they returned when Boult pulled in the catch, seemingly behind himself as he dived to take it, left the visitors on 146 for six and the New Zealand bowlers with their tails up.
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.
Best then produced an entertaining innings before Boult had him caught at second slip by Peter Fulton then he bowled Gabriel to end the match and give him his first 10-wicket haul in tests.
The third match in the series begins at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Dec. 19.
Scoreboard
West Indies won the toss and chose to bowl
New Zealand first innings (441)
West Indies first innings (overnight 158-4)
K. Edwards c Rutherford b Anderson 55
K. Powell lbw b Southee 21
D. Bravo c Fulton b Anderson 4
M. Samuels c Watling b Boult 60
S. Chanderpaul c Anderson b Boult 6
N. Deonarine c Taylor b Boult 22
D. Ramdin not out 12
D. Sammy b Boult 0
S. Shillingford b Boult 0
T. Best b Boult 0
S. Gabriel b Southee 0
Extras: lb-8, w-1, nb-4 13
Total: (all out, 49.5 overs) 193
Fall of wickets: 1-46 2-67 3-103 4-119 5-175 6-182 7-182 8-188 9-188
Bowling: Boult 15-5-40-6, Southee 15.5-2-58-2 (w-1), Wagner 7-1-37-0 (nb-4), Anderson 7-1-20-2, Sodhi 3-1-18-0, Williamson 2-0-12-0
West Indies second innings
K. Edwards c Williamson b Southee 35
K. Powell b Southee 36
D. Bravo c Watling b Wagner 0
M. Samuels c Anderson b Southee 12
S. Chanderpaul not out 31
N. Deonarine b Boult 12
D. Ramdin c Boult b Anderson 19
D. Sammy lbw b Boult 0
S. Shillingford c Taylor b Wagner 1
T. Best c Fulton b Boult 21
S. Gabriel b Boult 0
Extras: nb-1, lb-6, w-1 8
Total: (all out, 54.5 overs) 175
Fall of wickets: 1-74 2-75 3-85 4-94 5-117 6-146 7-147 8-148 9-175
Bowling: Boult 12.5-2-40-4, Southee 11-2-24-3, Wagner 17-2-67-2 (nb-1), Anderson 11-1-29-1 (w-1), Williamson 3-1-9-0
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Result: New Zealand won by an innings and 73 runs
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Previous result:
Dec 3-7 first test, Dunedin – match drawn
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Remaining fixture:
Dec. 19-23 3rd test, Hamilton