WEST Indies removed New Zealand opener Peter Fulton just before lunch having set a target of 112 after their lower order, led by a half-century from captain Darren Sammy, had eaten away almost the entire first session on the fifth day in DunedinIn the last over before lunch, Fulton missed a flick off Shane Shillingford but Ramdin appealed for a catch down the leg side. The catch was confirmed by Hot-Spot after West Indies asked for a review.
Sammy, derided recently during the Test in India for his irresponsible batting didn’t let New Zealand take control after the fall of Darren Bravo in the third over of the day. He ran his runs hard despite an injury to his hamstring and added 38 vital runs with Shillingford for the eighth wicket.
With the pitch offering uneven bounce, the New Zealand seamers targeted the stumps, with Trent Boult getting a few deliveries to hit high on the bat. On one instance, Boult drew the outside edge of Sammy’s bat only to see it drop short of Ross Taylor at first slip.
In the same over, Sammy had another nervous moment when the ball spun back towards the stumps after he had defended it off the back foot, but he showed incredible football skills to kick the ball towards deep square leg, stretching his hamstring in the process.
When Sammy got the ball in his hitting zone though, he didn’t hold himself back. A couple of length deliveries were blasted through cover and over the infield and a long hop from Ish Sodhi was bludgeoned over deep midwicket.
Shillingford played his part as well, adding 15 useful runs in an hour-long stay at the crease, before he edged Neil Wagner to first slip. Tino Best hung around for 21 minutes, but his stay was ended in a similar fashion. With only the No 11 for company, Sammy threw his bat at the first delivery with the third new ball and sliced it to deep cover, but he ensured 54 useful runs were added after Bravo’s exit.
575 minutes. That is how long it took New Zealand to break past Bravo’s stubborn resistance during the course of which he scored his maiden double-century and helped West Indies wipe out the 396-run deficit after they were forced to follow on.
But more importantly for the home side, the dismissal came early on the final day, relieving the smidgen of tension the clouds gathering over may have caused. It was also the early boost the bowling attack needed after having bowled more than 200 overs on the trot.
Boult, in the third over of the day, tested Bravo with a yorker that reversed in, but it was dealt with the ease one would expect from a batsman in the zone – he had gone past 2000 Test runs in Boult’s previous over.
But it took the misdemeanour of the fifth-day pitch that shook Bravo out of his zone as the next delivery sneaked under his bat to strike the off stump.
The late riposte, however, may have given West Indies an outside chance to save or even win the Test.

(ESPN Cricinfo)