Tim Southee completed a five for early in the morning to close out a 329-run lead
West Indies 131 (Blackwood 69, Southee 5-32, Jamieson 5-34) and (f / o) 73 for 2 (Campbell 26 *, Brooks 19 *, Boult 2-34) New Zealand 460 by 256 runs
Having taken just two wickets in his first three innings of the series, Trent Boult finally got the rewards his bowling deserved as he made the first strides after New Zealand imposed early follow-up on the third morning in Wellington.
Tim Southee took the last two wickets of the first inning within the first five overs of the day, to complete his five-wicket course and close out a 329-run lead for New Zealand. Continuing with the second test, the West Indies found that hitting was a bit easier than it had been on day two with the seam movement easing considerably, but Boult reminded them of the arduous task on their hands with two wickets on his sixth change. At lunch they were 73 for 2, still 256 runs away from getting the hosts to hit again.
The grounds demonstrated New Zealand’s dominance over home conditions, which often improve significantly for hitting in the second inning. There was swing for the new ball, but not much sewing, and John Campbell and Kraigg Brathwaite had fought their initial discomfort to put 37. Then, Boult found success working out a plan, targeting Brathwaite’s tendency to launch into the air. without putting your weight on your front foot. A full ball in the stumps flew to Will Young’s left, parked in the leg ravine for that kind of shot, and he completed a surprising low reception with a full dive.
New Zealand also uses the short ball to telltale effect in these second-inning scenarios, and Darren Bravo took a nasty from Boult, heading for his head. He raised his hands reflectively to protect himself and put the ball with a glove into the ravine.
On either side of that Boult, Campbell took a peek and by lunch looked promising pace, with a noticeably improved stride on the front foot compared to the first inning. He played and missed a few times at first, and survived an lbw scream from Boult when he was knocked over; ball tracking suggested that the ball had not straightened enough to hit the leg stump after New Zealand reviewed the no-out decision, before beginning to show signs of confidence, most notably when it transferred its weight completely in a cover attack off Kyle Jamieson, bending his front knee on impact.
Campbell was hitting 26 at lunch, and with him was Shamarh Brooks, at 19. Brooks had faced 92 balls to score 14 in the first innings, but found it much easier to score this time, receiving balls on his pads from Boult and then of Southee. , which pulsed for four and six respectively.
Karthik Krishnaswamy is a senior deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo
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