Below par
withdrawal of wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich after the first day. New Zealand’s left-arm pacer Neil Wagner claimed 4-66.
Williamson missed the second Test for family reasons, but the script was identical as West Indies again won the toss and chose to bowl first on another heavily grassed pitch.
Left-hander Henry Nicholls’ chancy 174 formed the backbone of their 460 all out. Gabriel and fellow seamer Joseph took three wickets each, while the debutant pacer Chemar Holder hardly put a foot wrong while claiming 2-110.
In reply, the Caribbean side was tumbled over for 131 with in-form batsman Jermaine Blackwood — the only member of the top order to leave the series with an enhanced reputation — leading the way with 69.
Southee and towering seamer Kyle Jamieson had figures of 5-32 and 5-34, respectively.
Following on, the West Indies batsmen showed improved fight and temperament in the second innings. The team made 317, its highest score of the series.
Left-hand opener John Campbell, who struggled in the three previous innings, applied greater application and judgement in his top-score of 68. Captain Jason Holder contributed 61, while debutant wicketkeeper/batsman Joshua Da Silva made a classy 57. Wagner and fellow left-armer Trent Boult captured three wickets each.
Pointing to the frailties of the West Indies batting, Neita, who played 45 first-class matches for Jamaica between the late 1970s and early 1990s, said some of players on the tour “are average and below standards for Test cricket”.
He added: “You see when New Zealand bat first and the pitch is green like a football pitch and the ball is seaming around. Once the ball pitches on off stump they leave alone and allow it to bounce over. They play at fewer balls than we would because we don’t know how to technically manage when things are difficult.
“It’s not that they can bat better than us, it’s just that technically they are better equipped than us. It’s not a question of talent, it’s a question of preparation and training and mental fortitude.”
Neita, the president of Melbourne Cricket Club, one of the most distinguished clubs in Jamaica, said a regional coaching structure is needed to properly develop the batting technique of young players.
“When I was growing up we had [former West Indies player] JK Holt as a coach and we all batted the same way. We all batted side on and our techniques were very similar and that was the foundation of our cricket. Once you start playing at the highest level then you can start to improvise. I don’t see that happening from the grass roots of our cricket.
“If you look at how the Indians bat, all of them bat the same way. All of them have the same technique but once you get to the highest level then you can start to improvise with the T20 (Twenty20) shots and all of that. The Australians are the same thing, and the Englishmen, but when you look at us West Indians our batting technique is so poor that it is going to be exploited by any good and competent bowler,” he told the Observer.
In an era in which most top players are lured by cashrich T20 franchise cricket, Neita said Cricket West Indies and individual territorial boards have to find ways to get prospective Test players to compete in the regional four-day tournament.
“Our best players are not playing four-day cricket. We do have talent, but we need to make sure that these players are playing regular first-class cricket if we want them to play Test cricket. You need to work on their technical competence because when the ball is moving around and when the pitch is difficult it is your technique and your mental tenacity that is going to take you through.
“We must try to prepare pitches that favour pace bowling. We need to help our cricketers develop by them batting properly. And it really must start at the club level and when you graduate into the youth programmes you have technically proficient coaches who can help batsmen with their technique. If we are able to do that you will see a big difference in their cricket,” he said.