Lara fights back to lead West Indies to victory

St. Lucia, June 9: Brian Lara hit an aggressive unbeaten 59 to lead the West Indies to a comfortable seven-wicket victory over New Zealand here on Sunday and an unassailable 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

With one match abandoned already, New Zealand can only draw level if they win the remaining two matches in Trinidad and St. Vincent.

New Zealand were comprehensively outplayed on Sunday at the newly-built Beausejour Cricket Ground in the St. Lucian countryside.

First they batted inadequately, managing only 210 in 50 overs, at least 50 runs short of a competitive target.

Their opening bowlers then crumbled in the face of a withering assault from Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who scored 33 in the first five overs.

Chanderpaul, who scored an unbeaten 108 on Saturday in the second match of the series here when the West Indies won by six wickets, eventually perished for a cavalier 30 and Gayle for 37.

Lara suffered the ignominy of being dropped down the batting order in Saturday's match. Skipper Carl Hooper said he was struggling for form.

But on Sunday he came in at his usual number four slot to join Ramnaresh Sarwan, who stroked an elegant 42.

Sarwan was the youngest first class cricketer in the West Indies when he played for Guyana at 15 and he and Lara put on a match-winning 77 for the third wicket before Sarwan was trapped leg before wicket by Chris Harris.

Lara, who won the man-of-the-match award, then took control, hitting five fours and a mighty six. His controlled 50 came up in 73 balls and his innings lasted 84 deliveries as he scored his 48th one-day half century.

Lara scored two 50s in the series against India but had been put in the shade by the form of captain Carl Hooper and Chanderpaul. After a nervous start, Lara returned to his sizzling best against a weak New Zealand bowling attack.

Earlier, West Indies' seam and spin bowling attack strangled New Zealand's batting. The Black Caps lost three top batsmen for five runs after captain Stephen Fleming, with 34, and Chris Nevin, with 20, had given the tourists a healthy start. But they plunged from 69 for one to 74 for four.

Veteran campaigner Harris, playing his 212th one day international, scored his 15th one day 50 in a 90-run partnership with Test opener Lou Vincent, who ended as top scorer with 60 in 87 balls.

Harris' 50 took 78 balls while Vincent's took 75 as the West Indies employed a wily mix of spin and seam against the fragile-looking New Zealand batting line-up.

Hooper rested paceman Cameron Cuffy in favour of fast-medium seamer Corey Collymore, who posted figures of two for 38 while strike bowler Merv Dillon took two for 40 from his 10 overs, a distinct improvement on Saturday's two for 60.

Opener Chris Gayle, bowling innocuous off-breaks, grabbed Fleming's wicket leg before and was the home side's most economic bowler, taking two for 34.

Nathan Astle, renowned as a big-hitter, failed for the third consecutive innings when he was given out leg before wicket by West Indies umpire Billy Doctrove when on 12.