Men in beige take control

The BLACKCAPS contained the West Indies to 126 for seven from their 20 overs at Eden Park.

Skipper Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Daren Ganga top-scored with 26 each as the tourists showed their inexperience in this form of the game.

Contrastingly, the BLACKCAPS attack displayed the know-how garnered from the recent State Twenty20 domestic games and their two previous international outings.

Sent into bat the Windies were slow to progress, and had made 14 in the third over when World XI batter Chris Gayle was dismissed for 10, Nathan Astle giving Shane Bond a wicket with an easy catch from a lofted shot at mid-off.

International rookie Runako Morton soon followed, making four before Styris trapped him lbw in the eighth over.

Cairns displayed his athleticism by running out Smith off his own bowling, before Styris claimed his second wicket, Ganga off James Franklin’s catch at mid-wicket.

Fleming introduced Patel to the attack and his tight bowling provoked Wavell Hinds, on 14 in the 14th over, to lash out with a sweep.

Hamish Marshall took the ball at long-on, and a typically quick piece of thinking and expert fielding left the Jamaican stranded and run out.

Cairns finished his final bowling spell in international cricket with no wickets for 24 runs, but an inspired run out to look back on.

The next over saw Patel claim Chanderpaul’s wicket, his attempt to hit a straight six fall inches short, straight into Marshall’s waiting hands.

And the final over gave Cairns another cameo, producing a regulation catch to take Denesh Ramdin for Bond's second wicket at a cost of only 15 runs conceded.