Some poor batting and fantastic catching has meant the afternoon session ended well in New Zealand's favour. Ramnaresh Sarwan got his 50 and then got out, courtesy of one of the best reaction catches you will ever see. Sarwan drove uppishly at a wide one from Tim Southee and it was Jesse Ryder, amazingly as he is not know to be the nimblest of fielders, at silly point who dived desperately with one hand to his right and somehow the ball stuck! Sarwan looked astonished but he had to go, he played really well and will be disappointed not to have gone on.
Chanderpaul did go on however with his new partner Brendan Nash and soon brought up his own 50. He didn't look troubled by the bowling of the quicks, nor the spin of Vettori and it was vital with the loss of Sarwan that he built a big innings.
Nash looked good for a time, preying off the wide deliveries given to him by the bowlers with some great cuts. It proved his downfall however when he slashed at one that wasn't quite full enough for the drive and played a huge inside edge onto his own stumps. Iain O'Brien was pleased to pick up his second wicket of the day.
Dwayne Bravo was a whisker from being bowled second ball as he played and missed a fuller delivery. It was so close the ball almost brushed the off-stump and the fielders couldn't believe it had missed. Bravo had a smile with the bowler but must have secretly been breathing a huge sigh of relief.
Approaching the tea break Thompson the left arm bowler made the strange decision to bowl around the wicket to left handed batsman Chanderpaul. Predictably the first ball he bowled that was a fraction wide was cut ferociously for six. After a word from his captain, the little bowling experiment ended after that delivery.
He'll be forgiven however after striking in the final over before tea. Dwayne Bravo wafted at one outside his off stump and sent an outside edge towards Brendon McCullum at second slip, who made everyone wonder why he ever gave up wicket-keeping with a terrific diving catch to his right. New man Carlton Baugh survived 3 balls and made it to tea unscathed.
New Zealand will have their tails up after that session, they broke the key partnership of 99 by Sarwan and Chanderpaul and are now one wicket away from the tail. They should look to bowl West Indies out by the end of the day. Chanderpaul finished the session on 74 and if West Indies are to post a competitive total he'll need to turn that into a big hundred.
Tea West Indies 166 for 5 (Chanderpaul 74*, Sarwan 51)
