Richardson gets New Zealand off to solid start

New Zealand 130-3 v West Indies

New Zealand secured the early initiative on the opening day of the second and final Test here yesterday as the three-year-old, purpose-built National Stadium became Test cricket's 84th venue.

Sent in after the West Indies captain Carl Hooper won the toss, New Zealand went to tea at 130 for 3. The West Indies took an hour and 25 minutes and 21 overs before they gained their only success. The right-hander Lou Vincent was surprised by a ball the towering fast bowler Cameron Cuffy made bounce, and deflected it into his stumps after making 24.

He was troubled by the left-armer Pedro Collins' each-way swing early on but counted a top-edged hook off him that carried over the fine-leg boundary for six and seemed well set when he fell. By the time Cuffy removed him in a second spell, he and Mark Richardson had put on 53 and Hooper had turned to the leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo.

There was a brief stutter from the visitors just after the interval as 77 for 1 soon turned into 82 for 3. The New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, century-maker of the first Test, was caught by Brian Lara for six, to give Collins his deserved first success of the day while Chris Harris, who had a poor first Test, joined Fleming back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers. Richardson and Nathan Astle put paid to the home side's hopes of a further quick wicket and took New Zealand into the break with matters still slightly in their favour.

Hooper's decision to bowl was baffling. The pitch appeared in good order, he was without his main fast bowler, Merv Dillon (back strain), and the usual fast bowling quota of four was reduced by Nagamootoo's inclusion.

West Indies won toss

NEW ZEALAND – First innings

M H Richardson not out 74

L Vincent b Cuffy 24

*S P Fleming c Lara b Collins 6

C Z Harris c Jacobs b Hooper 0

N J Astle not out 20

Extras (lb2 w2 nb2) 6

Total (for 3, 65 overs) 130

Fall: 1-61, 2-81-3-82

To bat: C D McMillan, S B Styris, ÝR G Hart, D L Vettori, S E Bond,

I G Butler.

Bowling: Collins 13-8-17-1 (nb1), Cuffy 17-6-37-1 (nb1, w2), Sanford 7-0-30-0, Nagamootoo 19-7-34-0, Hooper 9-3-1-0.

WEST INDIES: C H Gayle, W W Hinds, R R Sarwan, B C Lara, *C L Hooper, S Chanderpaul, ÝR D Jacobs, M V Nagamootoo, P T Collins, A Sanford, C E Cuffy.

Umpires: S Venkataraghavan (Ind), R Koertzen (SA).