Kingston: West Indies won the second Test on Sunday to wrap up a 2-0 series win over New Zealand, beating the Black Caps in Kingston by five wickets.
The hosts reached 206 for five having started the day just 71 runs short of victory, as Shivnarine Chanderpaul hit the winning run to add to last month’s nine-wicket success at North Sound.
Kemar Roach, voted player of the series, missed a half century as he was the only wicket to fall on the day, caught for 41 by Tim Southee off the bowling of Kane Williamson, who induced an outside edge as the hosts claimed their first Test series against the tourists in 16 years.
Narsingh Deonarine came in and helped Chanderpaul guide his side past the winning post, the former levelling the scores with two towards mid-wicket before nicking a single towards third man.
West Indies’ skipper Darren Sammy praised his side afterwards — then looked forward.
“The next assignment is the World T20. We have gotten the feeling of what it is like to win, but we have to continue to work hard. The last year or two has been tough for us — we are going to celebrate this day, but it is about continuous hard work,” he said.
Black Caps’ counterpart Ross Taylor said: “It’s been a disappointing tour all round, we have had our chances in this match, in several matches this tour.
“There are some positives, the bowlers bowled well on a tough wicket. We needed to set them 270-300 on what was a fourth-day wicket. I think [our batsmen] shouldn’t be satisfied with 50-60s, we are a young team, we are getting better every now and then.”
After the Kiwis had established a 51-run lead following the first innings the West Indies found their way back to post the win with a day to spare after Deonarine produced figures of four for 37 to help polish off the tourists for a paltry 154 in their second innings.
Although Chris Gayle — returning to the Test fold after 18 months on the sidelines — could only make eight while fellow opener Kieran Powell only managed six, first innings centurion Marlon Samuels then stepped into the breach once again with an innings-leading 52.
Doug Bracewell forced an edge from Samuels, but after surviving being dropped he had done enough to build a winning platform — as Gayle and Powell had done in the first Test with their 150 and 134 in North Sound.
Sammy praised Samuels and Deonarine for their significant contributions,
“The way Marlon held the innings together in both innings, that spell from Narsingh yesterday, the performances are coming from different players at different times, that’s the hallmark of a good team,” he said.
It was appropriate Deonarine should have accompanied Chanderpaul at the crease for the final denouement after he, along with Tino Best, forced the collapse of the Kiwi middle order on Saturday.
