Richardson out for 95 as Windies fightback

St. George's (Grenada), June 28: West Indies pace bowler Pedro Collins fought back with two late wickets on Friday to leave New Zealand on 208 for five at the close of the first day of the second and final test at the Queen's Park ground.

New Zealand opener Mark Richardson batted all day but then fell to a mis-timed pull when he was five runs short of his third test century, caught by Chris Gayle on the boundary.

Collins took three for 29 as he willingly took over the mantle of main strike bowler from the injured Merv Dillon.

Richardson and Nathan Astle put on 123 for the fourth wicket as New Zealand cautiously re-built after struggling to 82 for three shortly after lunch.

The late wickets kept alive the West Indies hopes of levelling the two-match series after they were beaten in the first test in Barbados.

West Indies captain Carl Hooper gambled on the Queen's Park wicket having some life in it early on but was proved wrong as the cautious New Zealanders placed themselves in a strong position to win the series.

Opener Richardson batted all day to compile his 95 while Astle came in with New Zealand in a spot of bother on 82 for three after losing two quick wickets immediately after lunch.

Astle, well-known for his belligerent batting - including an astonishing 200 from 153 balls against England earlier this year - was composed and cautious early in his innings, but became more aggressive as the day wore on, striking spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo for two straight sixes in one over after tea.

Hooper won the toss and put New Zealand in to bat, as he did in the first test when the team was comprehensively outplayed. It was soon clear the wicket was not very helpful to bowlers, although humid conditions meant there was swing for Collins in the afternoon session.

Openers Richardson and Lou Vincent put on 61 for the first wicket before Vincent was bowled by a sharp Cameron Cuffy delivery that jagged in from the off and caught the opener's inside edge before hitting the stumps. Vincent's 24, included one six.

Richardson and captain Stephen Fleming saw New Zealand through to lunch but Fleming, scorer of 130 in the first test, unwisely chased a full and loose ball from Pedro Collins outside the off stump just after the interval and edged the ball to Brian Lara at first slip. He scored just six.

Number four batsman Chris Harris, a one day specialist looking increasingly out of place at number four in a test line-up, only survived 13 balls before being caught behinds off the gentle offbreaks of Hooper for a duck.

As in the first test in Bridgetown, the West Indies were unable to exploit the opportunity presented to them and Richardson and Astle settled in to fend off the bowling attack, which looked fragile in the absence of strike bowler Merv Dillon.

Collins and Nagamootoo were the pick of the West Indies bowling attack and the leg spinner, playing for his country for the first time for two months after a vehicle accident, beat the bat several times as he induced slow spin from the wicket.

Richardson's 50 came up in just under two and a half hours while Astle's took two hours and 18 minutes as caution played the better part of valour, with New Zealand under no pressure to score quickly. The 100-run partnership was reached in 276 balls.

Collins struck in the 91st over when he dismissed Richardson, clearly anxious to reach his century before the close.

Eight balls later nightwatchman Daniel Vettori pursued a ball going down the leg side and was adjudged by umpire Rudi Koetzen to have got an edge, although Collins had turned away and did not appeal.