Windies earn draw, series ends 0-0
West Indies Head Coach John Dyson said his players deserve credit for earning a hard-fought draw against New Zealand in the final Test of the two-match series which ended on Tuesday.The Windies made 375 in the second innings with captain Chris Gayle hitting a magnificent 197 to take the Man-of-The-Match award at McLean Park, Napier. He received excellent support from the lower order. The Black Caps were set a victory target of 312 and closed on 220-5.
"We came here obviously trying to win, as the first match was affected by the weather. We expected a very good pitch here and that’s what we got, and I’m pleased with the way the team fought throughout this match," Dyson said.
"At no point in this match did we give up and that is what I’m very pleased about. It ended up a pretty good game and could have gone either way in the final afternoon. Earning a draw is better than losing."
The first Test at University Oval, Dunedin was affected by rain and ended in a draw with Jerome Taylor making his maiden Test century (106 off 107 balls) to take the Man-of-the-Match prize.
The series now moves to Eden Park, Auckland for a Twenty20 International on Boxing Day. First ball is at 5 pm (December 26 - 12 am Eastern Caribbean Time/December 25 - 11 pm Jamaica Time).
Three players – left-arm spinner Nikita Miller, allrounder Kieron Pollard and left-handed batsman Shawn Findlay -- arrived on Sunday and will be involved in the two T20 Internationals and five One-Day Internationals.
"We have a few new players who have joined the team and they have been to the nets trying to get over their jetlag. We just have to readjust our thinking and the way we approach the game as we look forward to these matches and get ready for T20s. With our team, they have a lot of 20/20 experience and it is a form of the game they are very comfortable and happy with," Dyson said.