WI crumble again, face innings defeat
The Report by Abhishek Purohit
December 13, 2013
Tea West Indies 193 (Samuels 60, Edwards 55, Boult 6-40) and 135 for 5 (f/o) (Chanderpaul 18*, Ramdin 15*, Southee 3-24) trail New Zealand 441 by 113 runs
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West Indies faced the ripe possibility of a third innings defeat in four Tests, collapsing for the second time in the day to New Zealand's swing and pace. In the first innings, they lost their last six wickets in 35 deliveries to crumble to 193. In the second, they stumbled from 74 for 0 to 117 for 5. Five of those six wickets in the first innings were taken by Trent Boult, who put on an exhibition of fast, accurate inswing bowling. Brendon McCullum enforced the follow-on again after the unsuccessful attempt in Dunedin, and Tim Southee rebounded from an average display in the morning to remove the openers and Marlon Samuels in the second innings.
Starting the day on 158 for 4, West Indies lasted just 12.5 overs, unable to adjust their gung-ho approach to tackle Boult. Four of Boult's five victims in the morning were right-hand batsmen who insisted on driving at the original line despite the copious inswing. Boult ended with his best figures of 6 for 40, his final four wickets coming in just six balls.
Narsingh Deonarine started the meltdown after being worked over by Boult and prodded a straightening delivery to first slip. It was the beginning of a swift end. Samuels, who'd timed a couple of fours down the ground, kept on trying the off-drive without much foot movement, and succumbed as Boult's inswing induced a thick inside edge to the wicketkeeper.
The next three batsmen were all bowled, refusing to adapt to the swing and not even managing an inside edge on their attempted drives. Darren Sammy lasted two balls, leaving a gaping distance between bat and pad as he drove weakly. As did Shane Shillingford and Tino Best. In the space of five balls.
Southee completed the job in the next over, an outswinger hitting Shannon Gabriel's off stump. It was a perfect demolition of the lower order, the last four batsmen bowled for ducks.
The disappointment of Dunedin would have been on McCullum's mind, but the momentum Boult generated was too intense to be ignored, and West Indies were sent in for another trial by swing. McCullum would have had thoughts of Dunedin again when Kieran Powell and Kirk Edwards put on 74 for the first wicket.
Boult had been held back after a couple of overs, and Southee was brought back only after lunch. Though a wicket never looked far away, the openers survived against Corey Anderson and Neil Wagner. They were beaten numerous times, they fended off bouncers, but didn't try to hit their way out of the pressure. Edwards scored his first boundary off his 71st delivery, and also successfully reviewed after he was given out caught at short leg off Kane Williamson, replays showing there was no bat involved.
Even as the deficit decreased steadily, Southee stepped up with a spell of 9-1-19-3 after lunch. Powell went for 36 in a manner similar to the first innings, missing a full one swinging into him. Wagner, who had charged in without too much consistency, produced a sharp lifter next over to have Dunedin double-centurion Darren Bravo caught behind off the glove.
The shots started to appear now from West Indies as the pressure increased. Edwards tried driving Southee, only to be snapped up superbly by Williamson at gully. Southee also ended Samuels' desperate, uncertain attempts at hitting out, a feeble drive ending at third slip.
Returning to bowl before tea, Boult made immediate impact as Deonarine rode the bounce on one only to chop it on. Five down and needing 131 to make New Zealand bat again, a repeat of the Dunedin escape was out of the question. What was more relevant was whether West Indies would be able to take the game into a fourth day. Their innings defeats in India were both inside three days.