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Sarwan, Ramdin's late blitz see Windies through

Source: Agencies | January 4, 2009, Sunday | Print Edition

RAMNARESH Sarwan's unbeaten 67 guided the West Indies to a five-wicket win over New Zealand with one ball to spare in yesterday's rain-shortened one-day match in Christchurch.

Sarwan shared an unbroken 48-run partnership with Denesh Ramdin (28 not out) to see the West Indies to 158-5 in reply to New Zealand's 152-8 in a contest reduced to 28 overs per side.

New Zealand was 26-1 after 6.5 overs, batting first after losing the toss, when rain, then hail and lightning chased the players from the field for more than four hours.

When they returned, New Zealand struggled to set the West Indies a demanding run chase based on the Duckworth-Lewis system.

The tourists also struggled with the bat, slipping to 110-5 in the 23rd over and were scoring only in singles until a late burst from Sarwan and Ramdin saw them home.

The pair needed 30 off the last three overs and 18 off the last two but successive fours by Ramdin off spinner Jeetan Patel, struggling to grip the ball in damp conditions, tipped the match in the tourists' favor.

"You've got to give credit to (Sarwan and Ramdin), the way they batted," West Indies captain Chris Gayle said. "It's never over till it's over in these short forms of the game and they did really well to take us home."

New Zealand's total never seemed likely to test the West Indies but the removal of Gayle (36) in the 12th over and tight bowling and fielding put the tourists under pressure prior to the Sarwan-Ramdin stand.

Sarwan, out of form in the two-test series against New Zealand, took his 67 runs from 65 balls with three fours and a six, mostly working singles and 2s to keep the West Indies' score ticking over.

Ramdin, who also has been out of touch on this tour, struggled at first but eventually struck the ball confidently and took his 28 runs from 18 balls.

"In the end we just didn't score enough runs," New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori said. "We bowled and fielded exceptionally but we didn't have quite enough runs to defend."

Jesse Ryder top-scored with New Zealand with 32, batting on either side of the rain break, while Fidel Edwards was the best of the West Indies' bowlers, taking 3 for 26.

In Chittagong, Bangladesh, Tillakaratne Dilshan scored a hundred and put on a 173-run stand with Chamara Kapugedara yesterday to steer Sri Lanka to 371-6 at stumps on the first day of the second test against Bangladesh.

Dilshan smashed 21 fours and two sixes to hit 162 from 165 balls for his sixth test century. It helped rescue Sri Lanka after the visitors were 75-4 at one stage with opening bowler Mashrafe bin Mortaza taking two early wickets.

Kapugedara was 93 not out at the end of play after collecting 12 boundaries in 117 balls as he shared in a Sri Lankan record sixth-wicket stand with Dilshan.

Opener Malinda Warnapura hit 63 and was the only other batsman to make more than 19 runs.



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