Scott Styris was stranded on 103 as West Indies dismissed New Zealand, in spite of a wayward bowling performance, for 275 on the opening day at Auckland
The Bulletin by George Binoy08-Mar-2006
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Scott Styris bolstered the New Zealand innings with a timely hundred © Getty Images
On a day characterised by wayward bowling and carefree batting, Scott Styriskept New Zealand firmly in the hunt with an allround performance thatincluded a counter-attacking hundred and two wickets in three balls in thedying moments. It was yet another case oflost opportunites for West Indies, who had their opponents on the mat in theopening session, but failed to pin them down and the loss of three quickwickets in the last few minutes meant they would be starting the second daywith their backs to the wall.At lunch however, the wind was blowing the other way. New Zealand had lostfour wickets, to a combination of good bowling from Ian Bradshaw, anunfortunate runout and some injudicious shot selection, when Styris joinedNathan Astle. Styris started nervously, edging a boundary through slips andtook his time to settle down as Astle upped the tempo with an innings moresuited to the one-day format.Astle was in a belligerent mood throughout, short-arm jabbing Jerome Taylorrepeatedly to the square-leg and midwicket fence, and carting anything widethrough the off side. Taylor struck Astle on the helmet with a well-directedbouncer but Astle responded by carting the next ball over cover for four. Hiscarefree strokes eventually led to his dismissal as an expansive drive offDwayne Smith found the outside edge to Denesh Ramdin to leave New Zealand on140 for 5.Meanwhile, had Styris got into the flow with consecutive fours off Edwards,and followed up with a pull and a cover drive off Bradshaw, but he shiftedgear when Daniel Vettori was dismissed cheaply by hitting three consecutiveboundaries, including a six over long on, again off Bradshaw. He formed themainstay of a 41-run partnership with James Franklin for the eighth wicketand reached his century with a cover drive in the company of last man ChrisMartinNew Zealand, who recorded their first-ever Test win exactly 50 years ago against West Indies on this very ground, blooded a new opening pair in debutant Jamie How and Hamish Marshall. Both openers struggled to find rhythm on a pitch that offered bounce and appreciable lateral movement provided the ball was pitched in the right areas. Edwards started the day with a perfect outswinger that opened up Marshall but thereafter his probing deliveries were interspersed with too many wide ones.
Ian Bradshaw provided West Indies with the early wickets © Getty Images
Playing in front of empty stands, How’s debut ended on 11 in unfortunate fashion when Marshall’s straight drive deflected off Bradshaw’s hand on to the stumps at the bowler’s end. Peter Fulton, also making his debut, rode his luck as two edges fell short of the slip cordon before Marshall hit Taylor’s leg-side full toss straight to Edwards, the only fielder in the circle on the leg side, to reduce New Zealand to 31 for 2. Stephen Fleming threatened to pick up the momentum with a couple of perfect straight drives to the fence but Bradshaw induced a leading edge to gully off Fulton to set New Zealand back further. He then capped a perfect first session for West Indies by getting Fleming to nick an outswinger in the last over before lunch.McCullum joined Styris after Astle put the innings back on track and struck fours fours before he misjudged the line from Smith and was castled. The manner of Vettori’s dismissal – slashing a very wide ball from Smith to Chris Gayle at first slip – summarised the nature of play on the first day. With only the tailenders for company Styris reached his century with a flurry of strokes just before he ran out of partners.The West Indian openers began dangerously. Darren Ganga survived three lbw appeals in James Franklin’s first over and Chris Gayle was adjudged not out after a Shane Bond delivery bounded off his glove to slips. On 20, Ganga fended Chris Martin straight to How at gully to trigger a minor collapse. Nightwatchman Ian Bradshaw became the first of Styris’s wickets but the biggest blow was struck when Gayle edged to McCullum in the penultimate over.Jamie How run out Bradshaw 11 (23 for 1)
Hamish Marshall c Edwards b Taylor 11 (31 for 2)
Peter Fulton c Ganga b Bradshaw 17 (54 for 3)
Stephen Fleming c Ramdin b Bradshaw 14 (69 for 4)
Nathan Astle c Ramdin b Smith 51 (140 for 4)
McCullum b Smith 19 (170 for 6)
Daniel Vettori c Gayle b Smith 6 (199 for 7)
James Franklin c (sub) Morton b Gayle 14 (240 for 8)
Shane Bond b Gayle 3 (261 for 9)
Chris Martin c Ramdin b Bradshaw 0 (275 for 10)
Daren Ganga c How b Martin (47 for 1)
Ian Bradshaw c How b Styris 0 (48 for 2)
Chris Gayle c McCullum b Styris 25 (49 for 3)