Rain drowns Kiwis’ chances of Test win
RAIN has ruined New Zealand’s chances of winning the first Test against the West Indies, with the heavens opening above Dunedin, leaving the home side 33 runs short of victory.
The hosts reached 4-79 chasing 112 to claim their first Test win in more than a year but, five minutes before tea on the fifth day, the players were forced from the field by rain, never to return.
The rain abated briefly to allow ground staff to prepare for a resumption but it returned to end hopes of a restart.
The draw is a blow for New Zealand, who dominated the first three and a half days of the Test before a Darren Bravo double century inspired a West Indies fightback at the University Oval.
In their run chase, the hosts slumped to 4-44 before recovering.
Bravo’s 218, the second- highest score by a West Indian in New Zealand, and his occupation of the crease for 572 minutes took the game into the final day and long enough for the forecast rain to appear.
New Zealand have themselves to blame after shelling four catches in the Windies’ second innings, including Bravo on 82.
The 30 overs they faced were more than enough to reach their total before the weather intervened.
Offspinner Shane Shillingford, whose bowling action was the subject of independent testing before the Test, grabbed all four wickets to fall.
He removed Peter Fulton in the final over before lunch after the tourists were finally dismissed for 507 — their fourth- highest secondinnings total.
After the resumption, he had Aaron Redmond (6) snaffled at leg slip before Hamish Rutherford (20) gave his wicket away, lofting a catch to long-on.
Captain Brendon McCullum ( 9) then fell trying to slog-sweep Shillingford to put the skids on the run chase.
But Ross Taylor and Corey Anderson added 34 without further loss to put them back on track before rain, threatening for much of the day, started falling, forcing players from the field just before tea.