New Zealand takes 5 wickets early on Day 5, closes in on victory over West Indies
MOUNT MAUNGANUI, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand claimed five wickets in the first session on the final day of the third cricket test against the West Indies to close in on victory and a 2-0 series win.
Overnight batters Brandon King and John Campbell frustrated the New Zealand bowlers for the first hour Monday, then four wickets fell in the space of six overs, tipping the match firmly in New Zealand’s favor. Another fell just before the interval.
At lunch, West Indies was 99-5, needing 363 runs after being set 462 to win. New Zealand needed five wickets in the last two sessions.
Shai Hope was 2 not out at lunch and captain Roston Chase was unbeaten on 1. There are doubts over whether Kemar Roach will bat because of a hamstring injury.
Brandon King and John Campbell resumed Monday with the West Indies 43-0 after being set 461 to win the match. The openers negotiated the last 16 overs on the fourth day and a further 16 overs in the first session Monday before both were dismissed five balls apart.
Jacob Duffy made the first breakthrough, dismissing King for his 19th wicket of the series. King had resumed at 37 and reached his second test half-century from 63 balls, looking composed.
He was 67 when Duffy produced a short ball which reared at the batter, who went up on his toes and tried to fend the ball away, succeeding only in popping it off the glove to Glenn Phillips running in from gully.
Campbell faced 105 balls for 16 runs in a dogged defensive effort before hitting out at a ball from Ajaz Patel which found Phillips running back at mid-on.
Kavem Hodge hadn’t scored when he was brilliant caught by Rachin Ravindra at short leg off Patel’s bowling. New Zealand had been a little defensive in the first hour, not using a leg slip or short leg, but the dismissals of the openers in quick succession brought the field up.
Hodge turned the ball off the inside edge and Ravindra extended his left hand to pull in a good reflex catch. Three wickets had fallen for one run.
Duffy then set up Alick Athanaze (2) with a short ball, then a full ball which the batter tried to drive and edged to wicketkeeper Tom Blundell.
The flurry of wickets upset the trend of batting records in the match. When the opening partnership was broken at 87, the teams were within three runs of breaking the record for the highest cumulative total of runs scored in opening partnerships in a first-class match. The match was also close to becoming the first since 1960 in which all four opening partnerships exceeded 100 runs.
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