Boult of lightning turns Windies hopes to toast
INSPIRED by a devastating spell by Trent Boult, New Zealand engineered a stunning West Indies batting collapse to leave the hosts within sight of a series win in Hamilton.
After conceding an 18-run first innings lead, Boult grabbed three quick wickets to knock the top off the West Indies order before the pace attack ran through the rest of the line-up to dismiss them for 103.
Facing a target of 122 the New Zealand openers Peter Fulton and Hamish Rutherford negotiated the two overs before the close to reduce the deficit by six runs.
Boult, who could only manage one scalp in the first innings after bowling the home side to victory in the second Test, ended with 4-23 and Tim Southee wrapped up the tail to claim three wickets in an over.
Back-up seamers Neil Wagner and Corey Anderson shared the other three wickets to fall on a Seddon Park pitch that until then had of- fered more help to the spinners in the match.
Wagner claimed the prized scalp of first innings century- maker Shivnarine Chanderpaul who was brilliantly caught in the gully by Kane Williamson to reduce the visitors to 5-46 and then there was no stopping the home side.
The collapse came after a third century of the series to Ross Taylor could not stop New Zealand conceding a small first innings lead.
Taylor made 131, his 11th Test ton, as the home side reached 349 in reply to the visitors’ 367.
Sunil Narine claimed career-best figures of 6- 91 to take his Test wicket tally to 21, with 18 of those victims New Zealanders.
Taylor, who scored a double ton in the draw in Dunedin and hit 129 in the win at Wellington, has now made 493 runs in the series.