West Indies restore some respectability

New Zealand 341-8 dec and 61-2

West Indies 312

Match drawn In their vastly contrasting ways the West Indies' lower-order batsmen restored much of the pride so battered on the fourth day here but New Zealand scored most of the points in the weather-spoiled first Test that ended in a draw yesterday.

The left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul, with 65, and the wicketkeeper Junior Murray, with 27, carried the West Indies past the potentially embarrassing follow-on target of 142 in the morning. Then Winston Benjamin, with a typically swashbuckling 85 from 87 balls, batted like a latter-day Learie Constantine in a partnership of 67 in 50 minutes with Curtly Ambrose to push the total within 29 of New Zealand's 341 for 8 declared.

At 98 for 5 the previous afternoon something far more humiliating had seemed likely.

The match then drifted to an inevitable draw. A maiden Test century by the wicketkeeper Adam Parore, that transformed New Zealand's faltering first innings, was the first by a player of Maori descent and justifiably gained him the man of the match award.

(Final day; West Indies won toss)

NEW ZEALAND - First Innings 341 for 8 dec (A C Parore 100, S P Fleming 56).

WEST INDIES - First Innings (0vernight: 102 for 5)

S Chanderpaul b Thomson 69

J R Murray c Murray b Thomson 28

W K M Benjamin b Doull 85

C E L Ambrose b Morrison 33

*C A Walsh not out 0

K C G Benjamin c Parore b Morrison 5

Extras (nb4 lb11) 15

Total (96.2 overs) 312

Fall (cont): 6-155 7-232 8-299 9-307.

Bowling: Morrison 26.2-9-69-6 (1nb); Nash 5-2-11-0; Doull 22-5-85-1 (2nb); Hart 25-2-75-0 (1nb); Thomson 18-3-61-2.

NEW ZEALAND - Second Innings B A Young 21

D J Murray 8

A H Jones not out 10

*K R Rutherford not out 16

Extras (nb5 lb1) 6

Total (for 2) 61

Fall: 1-33 2-33.

Did not bat: S Fleming, SThomson, A Parore, M Hart, D Nash, S Doull, D Morrison.

Bowling: Ambrose 3-0-7-0; W Benjamin 5-1-12-0 (1nb); K Benjamin 6-0-12-1 (2nb); Walsh 4-1-8-1 (2nb); Arthurton 5-1-9-1; Adams 3-1-4-0; Lara 4-0-8-0; Chanderpaul 2-2-0-0.

Umpires: B Aldridge and N Plews.