New Zealand captain Williamson scored 89 runs to help the Black Caps to 216-5 against touring India at stumps in Wellington on Saturday.
But India claimed three wickets during the final session – including the scalp of Williamson – to regain some ground before bad light stopped play after New Zealand threatened to surge clear.
The opening day at Basin Reserve was ended by rain on Friday, with India reduced to 122-5 through just 55 overs due to wet weather.
New Zealand debutant Kyle Jamieson (4-39) starred on day one and he was among the wickets again as India were bowled out for 165 before lunch on Saturday – Virat Kohli's visitors losing 43-5.
Rishabh Pant (19) and Ajinkya Rahane (46) returned to the crease attempting to revive India's flagging innings but an awful mix-up and a stunning piece of fielding from Ajax Patel sparked the Black Caps.
Pant was left high and dry following Patel's direct hit and the wickets kept tumbling for India as New Zealand paceman Tim Southee took centre stage with figures of 4-49.
Southee dismissed Ravichandran Ashwin (0) first ball and then secured the prized wicket of Rahane before sending Mohammed Shami back to the pavilion for 21, while Jamieson had Ishant Sharma (5) caught behind.
The Black Caps navigated a tricky period prior to lunch with the bat, but opener Tom Latham (11) soon fell victim to Sharma (3-31) and the latter then skittled Tom Blundell (30) to leave New Zealand 73-2.
Williamson and Ross Taylor, however, combined for a valuable 93-run partnership to lead the hosts to 166-3 before Sharma removed Taylor just six runs shy of a half-century.
Black Caps skipper Williamson, who posted his 32nd Test fifty, was 11 runs short of another ton after slicing a Shami (1-61) delivery to substitute fielder Ravindra Jadeja.
One more wicket fell as stumps approached, Henry Nicholls sent packing by Ashwin (1-60) as BJ Watling (14 not out) and Colin de Grandhomme (4 not out) ended the day unbeaten in the middle.
Asked to face 26 testing overs at the end of the day, the West Indies reached 49 without loss. Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell on 20 and 22, respectively, will resume on Day 3 with the visitors still 470 runs behind a New Zealand total made possible by Kane Williamson’s imperious 251.
Resuming from his overnight score of 97 and New Zealand 243 for 2, the Black Caps captain’s marathon knock was the backbone of the home side’s massive total. Kane faced 412 deliveries in his almost 10 and a half hour stay at the crease.
Ross Taylor, who joined Williamson at the crease at 168 for 2, added seven runs to his overnight score of 31 before becoming Shannon Gabriel’s second victim when he edged to wicketkeeper Shamarh Brooks, who replaced an injured Shane Dowrich.
Williamson dominance of subsequent partnerships of 30 with Henry Nicholls (7); 72 with Tom Blundell (14) and 56 with Daryl Mitchell (9), emphasized his impact on the New Zealand’s innings. His was the last wicket New Zealand to fall when he was caught by Roston Chase at deep midwicket from an Alzarri Joseph after a 94-run seventh-wicket stand of 94 with Kyle Jamieson, who remained unbeaten on 51 when the declaration came.
Williamson’s 251 included 34 fours and two sixes.
Gabriel finished with 3 for 89, while Kemar Roach, who should have got Williamson’s wicket but for a no-ball, returned 3 for 114 from 30 overs. Joseph had figures of 1 for 99.
For two decades, Sir Vivian, one of the greatest batsmen of all time, destroyed bowling attacks across the globe, plundering 8540 runs in 121 Tests. The nature of his dominance was such that he once held the world record for the fastest-ever Test century, getting to the hallowed milestone from just 56 balls. It is against this background that that his criticism of the current crop of West Indies batsmen is seen as being telling.
During the recent tour of New Zealand, the West Indies batsmen were harried and bullied by the pace and bounce of Trent Boult, Neil Wagner, Kyle Jamieson and Tim Southee, who between them took 38 wickets.
In the first Test at Hamilton, New Zealand, batting first on a green wicket, made 519 for 7 declared with Captain Kane Williamson getting 251 runs. In reply, the West Indies could only manage 138 and following on, 247, losing by an innings and 134 runs.
It was a similar situation in the second Test at Wellington where after New Zealand made 460 all out reduced the West Indies to 131, and following on, 317, losing by an innings and 12 runs.
Of note, is that no West Indies batsman in four innings cumulatively managed to score more runs than Williamson’s score in the first Test. Jermaine Blackwood, who scored a century and a half century over the two Tests came closest with 216 runs.
Richards, in a recent interview with the Antigua Observer, said the West Indies batsmen were not able to withstand the hostility of the home team’s bowlers.
“We are struggling to play the short ball, and we look like the individuals we used to deal with. We are looking very timid and West Indians over the years have always been part of that destructive force when it comes to playing fast bowling,” said Sir Vivian.
“There are certain improvements in the team but we are seeing it in bits and pieces and we are not seeing those pieces being out together, we are not seeing that.”
Richards said it was becoming hard to watch the West Indies play under the current state of affairs.
The team and management unit has been in isolation since arriving in the country last Friday. Under New Zealand’s rigorous testing program, the team had to spend the first three days in isolation and then return a negative test before they could begin training in small groups at New Zealand Cricket’s High Performance Centre.
The squad must now undergo two further tests on Day 6 and Day 12 before they are allowed to train in larger groups.
The tour will bowl off with a T20I series against the Black Caps at Eden Park in Auckland under lights. The series then moves to Mount Maunganui for two matches at Bay Oval – the first a day match and the second under lights. The team will then travel to Hamilton for the first Test at Seddon Park and then south to Wellington for the second match at the historic Basin Reserve.
Match Schedule:
November 27: 1st T20I at Eden Park, Auckland
November 29: 2nd T20I at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
November 30: 3rd T20I at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
December 3-7: 1st Test at Seddon Park, Hamilton
December 11-15: 2nd Test at Basin Reserve, Wellington
The West Indies became one of the first teams to resume international cricket, in wake of the coronavirus pandemic, when they toured England in August. The entirety of the tour was conducted within a biosecure environment. New Zealand officials had said last month that they were examining the series with the hope of staging a similar version. Pakistan is also expected to be invited to tour the country.
New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White said the tours would help the sport through the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s a huge boost for us, it’s our financial lifeline,” he told reporters on Friday. “International cricket funds the whole game of cricket in New Zealand, so it’s very, very important for us."
White said the teams would fly to Auckland then catch a charter to Christchurch, where they would stay in quarantine while training at NZC’s high-performance centre in Lincoln University. White said all players would follow health and testing protocols set down by the government.
“It’s not going to come cheap; we will be footing the bill but we are happy to do that and fully understand it’s a user-pays model.”
New Zealand has been one of the world's most successful nations at containing the new coronavirus and the country's borders remain closed to almost all visitors.
Simmons also confirmed that the players who transgressed would be sanctioned internally.
Earlier this week, the New Zealand Health Ministry, revealed that several West Indies players repeatedly ran afoul of the restrictions imposed while the team was in isolation in Christchurch. The incidents, they said, were captured on closed-circuit television and also reported by staff at the facility where the team is being housed.
The incident has proven to be an embarrassment for CWI, whose CEO Johnny Grave who said he was disappointment.
Simmons was contrite.
"I have to apologise to the New Zealand public and the government who have allowed us to come here. It's embarrassing from our point of view," Simmons told New Zealand media, explaining that the incident has now robbed the team of valuable training time.
"We were just getting to the levels that we would normally start at, but coming from no cricket, we had to start slower. Hopefully everybody tests negative and then we can move to Queenstown and ramp it up as quickly as possible because later in the week we have a training game," Simmons said.
The West Indies have a practice match in Queenstown from November 20, a week before the first T20 International on November 27.
The West Indies were given a special dispensation to train while they were isolation but have now began more intensive training as they ramp up their preparations for their three T20 Internationals and two Test-series that begins on November 27.
Phil Simmons revealed that there are specific areas which the team has been focused on that will hopefully translate in better performances in what is expected to be a challenging tour.
“The big areas are consistency, especially in the bowling and understanding situations, especially in the batting,” Simmons said.
We have situations when we have been in control of games and people give away their wickets, so things like that are the main things that we are concentrating on now.”
Overall, things have been going well Simmons said, explaining that while some days have been cold there have also been warm days which they players have enjoyed.
“When its warm, West Indies teams tend to thrive so they’ve been very good. They’re enjoying it,” he said.
The players, management and support staff are scheduled to leave managed isolation on Friday and travel to the southern town of Queenstown, where they will play a three-day match and a four-day match against New Zealand “A”. These matches will be on November 20-22 and on November 26-29 at John Davies Oval.
Additionally, all of the West Indies players who arrived in Auckland on Thursday following the end of the Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates, have passed initial health screening checks. They are to spend the next two weeks in isolation in preparation for the first T20 International which will be played at Eden Park in Auckland on November 29.
The T20I Series will start with the defending World Cup champions facing the Black Caps at Eden Park in Auckland for a match under lights. The series then moves to Mount Maunganui for two matches at the picturesque Bay Oval – the first a day match and the second under lights. West Indies will then travel to Hamilton for the first Test at Seddon Park and then south to Wellington for the second match at the historic Basin Reserve.
The T20Is will be the start of an 11-month schedule of matches building up to the ICC T20 World Cup, rescheduled for October 2021 in India. The opening contest at Eden Park will have added significance as this is the venue where the two teams met in their first T20I contest back in 2006. That match ended in a tie which forced a dramatic bowl-off, won by the home side. Three years later the teams met again at the same venue and played to another tie which was decided by the first ever T20I Super Over, won by the West Indies.
Despite missing a few big faces, West Indies managed to sweep the series, and that along with the rise in rankings should provide a significant boost to the confidence of the Darren Sammy-coached side heading into the June 1-29 showpiece to be hosted in the Caribbean and United States.
With the series win, West Indies (254 rating points), the champions of the 2012 and 2016 editions of the T20 World Cup, are at the fourth place in the list led by 2007 champions India (264 rating points), with 2021 champions Australia (257 rating points) and defending champions England (254 rating points) at the second and third place respectively.
There were individual bright spots for West Indies in the series, who gained substantially in the T20I Player Rankings. This included stand-in skipper Brandon King, whose 159 runs helped him jump up five places to the eighth position in the Men’s T20I Batting Rankings.
His opening partner, Johnson Charles, who hit a blistering 69 from 26 balls in a Player of the Match performance in the third game of the series, gained 17 spots to reach the 20th place.
Meanwhile, Kyle Mayers (31st place in Batting Rankings) and Gudakesh Motie (27th place in Bowling Rankings) were the other beneficiaries from the recently concluded series.
These results bode well for the Men in Maroon, who will be looking for a record third title during their home T20 World Cup. They are placed in Group C along Afghanistan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Uganda.
They start their campaign against Papua New Guinea in Guyana on Sunday.
ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings
India -264 points
Australia - 257 points
England - 254 points
West Indies - 252 points
New Zealand - 250 points
The West Indies were defeated by an innings and 134 runs last weekend at Hamilton in a match that ended early on the fourth day.
Speaking on the eve of the match, Estwick said the team had honest and frank discussions but the time had come for the players to back themselves to deliver when it matters.
“The talking has to stop. We have to go out and stay in the contest, stay in the fight,” he said.
“We have got to be ready. The game in Hamilton is gone, we have to look forward to this one in Wellington. We are representing eight million people back in the Caribbean. They want to see us fight and we have to be prepared to fight.
“We can’t just roll over and say New Zealand is a good side and we are not going to fight and we’re going to lay down an let them run all over us. Once we can stay in the contest we have a chance.”
In the first Test, the West Indies replying to New Zealand’s 519 for 7, got off to a solid start at 49 without loss but as has seemingly become the norm, collapsed to 138 for 9. Shane Dowrich was unable to bat because of a reported hand injury.
Following on, the team collapsed again to 89 for 6 before Jermaine Blackwood scored 104 and Alzarri Joseph, a career best 86, in a 155-run seventh wicket partnership that took the West Indies to a more respectable 247.
Estwick said the team had to improve in all areas when play begins in Wellington.
“We have to be prepared to work hard. The bowlers have to be prepared to bowl long spells, a lot of overs, the batsmen have to be prepared to bat for a very long time. This is Test cricket, this is one of the better teams in the world and you have got to be prepared to do those things,” Estwick said.
“If you’re not prepared to do these things then you’re going to play T20 cricket but you have to be prepared to scrap and fight and battle and really represent. Put a price on your wicket, put a price on every ball you bowl, put a price on every ball you field, put a price on every ball you catch.
“There is no other way, there is no hiding place in Test cricket.”
After losing the opening match, the Kiwis came roaring back into the series with a dominant 50-run (DLS) win over the Windies on Friday. The team would have taken plenty of encouragement after bowling out New Zealand for 212, led by Kevin Sinclair’s industrious 4 for 41.
In their turn at the crease, however, the Windies batsmen could not come to grips with the duo of Trent Boult and Tim Southee. Together, the two combined for a relentless opening spell that left the home team six wickets down in the 10th over.
Overall, the duo finished with seven wickets and ended the Windies response before it began. Southee finished with 4 for 22 and Boult 3 for 18.
Cariah, however, did play his part in making a contest of things. He provided the majority of the little resistance getting his maiden half-century in an 85-run partnership with Alzarri Joseph. With the series and possibly an automatic spot at the ICC World Cup on the line the bowler knows the team can’t afford a repeat performance at the crease.
“We need to find a way to bat the first 10 overs from Southee and Boult, keep them out of the game in the wickets column and we will be fine,” Cariah said ahead of Sunday’s decider.
“I just think with the new ball is we had faced some balls and bat some overs and get ourselves in it would have been easier for us,” he added.
The schedule for the tournament in the United Arab Emirates and Oman was confirmed on Tuesday, with the final taking place in Dubai on November 14.
Pakistan and India will do battle in their opening Super12 Group 2 match at 6 pm local time.
New Zealand will get their bid for glory underway against Pakistan in Sharjah two days later, while Afghanistan begin their campaign on 25 October against a qualifier
Holders West Indies play England in a repeat of the dramatic 2016 final in debut on October 23, the same day as Group 1 rivals Australia face South Africa in Abu Dhabi.
The opening game of the competition will see co-hosts Oman come up against Papua New Guinea in Group B on October 17, with Scotland and Bangladesh in action on the same day.
The first semi-final will take place in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and the second will be staged in Dubai the following day.
West Indies T20 World Cup schedule
23 October
England vs West Indies
Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
26 October
South Africa vs West Indies
Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
29 October
West Indies vs B2
Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
4 November
West Indies A1
Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
6 November
Australia vs West Indies
Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
There will also be a reserve day on June 12 if necessary as the top two Test sides do battle to see who will lift the mace as world Test champions.
Those two teams are yet to be finalised, although Australia currently top the rankings while India, who they meet in a four-Test series starting on February 9, are second.
Sri Lanka and South Africa sit third and fourth respectively, with the latter set to take on reigning champions New Zealand in a two-Test series in February.
England are in hot pursuit in fifth after winning eight of their past nine Test matches, while West Indies also have a slim chance of making the final.
New Zealand's hopes of retaining the title they claimed by beating India by eight wickets in Southampton in 2021 are already over, having won just two Test matches since that famous victory.
After rain delays on the final day on Monday, the hosts eventually began play on 28-1, needing a further 257 runs to win from 52 overs.
That effectively turned the innings into one more akin to an ODI, and both teams approached it as such
Williamson, who was dismissed for just one in the first innings, was the fulcrum for the chase as he hit 121 from 194 balls, with various partners showing more aggression after opener Tom Latham had fallen for 24.
Williamson and Daryl Mitchell (81 from 86) put on 142 for the fourth wicket, before Asitha Fernando (3-63) started taking wickets to set up a tense ending.
New Zealand still needed eight runs from the final over with just three wickets remaining, with Matt Henry then run out from the third ball.
With the last delivery of the match, Williamson and the injured Neil Wagner desperately ran through a bye to win it, with the former only getting his bat in marginally as Sri Lanka produced a direct hit at the stumps at the non-striker's end.
"Seeing how calm Kane is out in the middle keeps us calm as well," Southee said after the win. "He's a world-class player and world-class players are able to perform in different conditions.
"The guys were very trusting in what he was going to do and, alongside Daryl, for most of the day it was a great partnership that got us in that great position."
The defeat for Sri Lanka meant they were unable to qualify for the ICC World Test Championship final, with India taking that spot against Australia.
It gave the Black Caps their third-highest successful chase in Test cricket (285), and their second remarkable Test win in recent weeks after the one-run victory against England last month.
The second Test in Wellington gets underway on Friday.
The hosts made light work of the team at the top of the ICC rankings to get their hands on the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy.
After rallying in the closing overs to reach 195-9 in their innings, Australia rattled through a New Zealand batting line-up experiencing a collective off-day.
This was the second contest of a three-match series being staged in Cairns, and Australia were in early disarray at 26-4 after Matt Henry and Trent Boult each struck twice with the ball. Aaron Finch and Marcus Stoinis both departed for ducks, while David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne made five runs each.
Alex Carey followed for 12 as Mitchell Santner got in on the wickets, before Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell put on the first substantial partnership, a cautious alliance of 49 for the sixth wicket.
Maxwell (25), Sean Abbott (7) and Smith, whose 61 was the key contribution, fell in quick succession, and when Boult had Zampa caught on the drive by James Neesham, Australia were tottering on 148-9, with six overs remaining.
Mitchell Starc (38no) and Josh Hazlewood (23no) rescued that dicey situation by adding an unbroken 47 for the final wicket, turning the momentum in Australia's favour, and it had swung decisively when New Zealand made their own dismal start with the bat.
The visitors' top order offered feeble resistance, crumbling to 38-5, with captain Kane Williamson top-scoring among those early victims with 17 before being dismissed lbw by a full toss from spinner Zampa.
It was 46-6 when Neesham clipped Stoinis to Finch at midwicket, and 54-7 when Starc had Michael Bracewell caught by a diving Maxwell at gully. Zampa wiped out the tail to complete figures of 5-35.
Boult efforts go unrewarded again
Boult's bowling in his 98th ODI appearance had Australia tied up in knots again, after he took 4-40 in a losing cause in the first match. This time, figures of 4-38 mean he has taken hauls of four or more wickets in consecutive ODIs for the first time in his career.
Again, it was a performance that went unrewarded, with New Zealand left to seek a consolation win in Sunday's final match of the series.Z
Beating the benchmark
Starc took 2-12, while Abbott remarkably finished with 2-1 from five overs, but it was Zampa who brought home the win, prising out Tim Southee, Henry and Boult to complete his five-for. The 30-year-old Zampa posted ODI career-best figures, having previously managed four four-wicket hauls.
Zampa told Fox: "It was a nice night. I didn't bowl my best to be honest. The full toss to Kane, the ball didn't come out as well as I'd have liked, but sometimes it's like that."
Playing down his own performance, he said he "reaped the rewards" after the likes of Starc and Abbott made early inroads, but considered it a victory worthy of celebration.
"It feels good to win any series, but particularly against the number one team in the world," Zampa said. "They're the benchmark at the moment, so it feels good."
