Now it was New Zealand who required consolidation at 146 for 3.The perky Hamish Marshall, one of the anonymous stars of the tournament, and the veteran Craig McMillan provided it with a partnership of 71 off 69 balls.With 10.1 overs remaining at 217 for 3, two batsmen entrenched and Chris Cairns and Jacob Oram, two dangerous strikers to come, a total of 300 was not an unrealistic assumption. It lasted half an hour, time enough for a calm, dressing-room assessment, for Lara to gather his thoughts and for spirits to be lifted by a few appropriate words.In contrast, it was a delay that broke the New Zealanders’ flow It meant Fleming and Astle had to start all over again. In the third over of the resumption, after scoring nine more, Fleming steered a low catch to gully off Dwayne Bravo, the medium-pacer who has become the West Indian with the golden arm.Five overs later, as Dwayne Smith’s medium-pace drew the reins in on the scoring rate, Astle cut Bravo and Scott Styris spooned Smith, both to point. The predicted afternoon showers arrived to replace the morning sunshine with Fleming and Astle, New Zealand’s two most seasoned batsmen, breezing along at 105 without loss after 18.1 overs once Brian Lara had followed the pattern of the series and sent them in.By then, Chris Gayle had missed Fleming’s straightforward top-edged cut at slip off Tino Best in the third over and Astle had escaped two more difficult offerings to Devon Smith, off Ian Bradshaw, and Ricardo Powell at point at 30, off Best.The West Indies were in desperate need of the time-out that is available in American sport, but not in cricket The weather arrived to provide it. There was more fumbling and wayward throwing than a decent school team would accept. The most glaring difference between the teams was the fielding, an aspect of their game that, more than any other, explains why New Zealand have now deposed South Africa in second spot behind Australia in the International Cricket Council’s one-day international ratings.The West Indies missed three early chances that allowed Stephen Fleming and Nathan Astle to lay the foundations of an imposing total.

The New Zealanders missed nothing, completing three run-outs, the first two of which proved the undoing of the West Indies.All this after the two weather breaks that interrupted New Zealand’s innings had so favoured the West Indies. Tino Best, who had yielded 30 runs in his first, indisciplined four-over spell, was still expensive on his return. But he finished off the innings with a characteristic flourish, running out Gareth Hopkins as he continued his follow through with the last-wicket pair trying to steal a single. It was Hopkins’ first one-day innings and he had not faced a ball.

If the fates have a heart they will let him have another go on some ground back home without so much history.West Indies started badly and never somehow clicked. After a while and the last of four rain breaks at 6.29pm they lost heart Vettori cleaned up West Indies had picked eight batsmen It looked to be either too many or not enough.. The Wimbledon factor came to the aid of the West Indies yesterday – and they took full advantage of it in holding New Zealand to what should have been a manageable 266. New Zealand were never quite the same after the openers went within six overs of each other.