Christchurch, January 3:

A late batting onslaught by Ramnaresh Sarwan and Denesh Ramdin saw the West Indies snatch victory with one ball to spare in the one-day international against New Zealand.

In a match reduced to 28 overs per side after a disruption due to thunder and hail,

New Zealand made 152-8 and under the Duckworth-Lewis system the West Indies were set a target of 158 to win. Man-of-the-match Sarwan hit the winning run off the penultimate delivery to finish unbeaten on 67 off 65 balls while Ramdin was not out on 28 from 18.

For much of the innings the target had seemed out of reach for the West Indies as New Zealand kept tight control in the field, wickets fell at regular intervals and the required run rate escalated. Midway through the 23rd over, when Ramdin came in at the fall of Kieron Pollard, they were 110-5. With three overs remaining the West Indies still required 30 runs before Sarwan and Ramdin fully opened up, taking 12 off a Tim Southee over and then 14 off Jeetan Patel. In the final over, Ramdin took two off the first delivery off Southee, and then he and Sarwan took singles off the fourth and fifth balls to seal the match.

The win put the West Indies one up in the five-match series, although it was New Zealand who started with their tails up after dominating the 36 overs available in the rain-abandoned first ODI at Queenstown on New Year’s eve. But they were rocked in the third over today when Fidel Edwards had Brendon McCullum (one) caught behind by Ramdin.

Edwards came back late in the match, when New Zealand were trying to up the batting rate, to remove Jacob Oram and Daniel Vettori in the space of two balls and return the bowling figures of 3-26. Jesse Ryder top scored for New Zealand with 32 off 43 balls.

For the most part New Zealand werSCOREBOARDe hampered by tight West Indies fielding and at one stage went 12 overs without a boundary. Oram (25) broke the drought when he clubbed a six and two fours off Gayle over before being caught in the next over by Chattergoon off Edwards. Jamie How contributed 27 while Grant Elliot at the end finished unbeaten on 30.

New Zealand also had early bowling success when Chattergoon (six) was bowled by Southee in the fourth over. Vettori then made a key breakthrough when he dismissed Chris Gayle, clean bowled for 36. With their skipper back in the pavillion the West Indies appeared to lose their way as Xavier Marshall, Brendan Nash and Pollard all fell cheaply before Sarwan and Ramdin turned their fortunes around.

The third match of the series is in Wellington on Wednesday.

SCOREBOARD

NEW ZEALAND

J Ryder c Chattergoon b Miller 32

B McCullum c Ramdin b Edwards 1

J How b Taylor 27

R Taylor c Powell b Miller 13

D Flynn c Ramdin b Taylor 4

J Oram c Chattergoon b Edwards 25

D Vettori b Edwards 0

G Elliott not out 30

K Mills c Miller b Gayle 6

T Southee not out 6

Extras: 8 (lb 2, w 6)

Total: 152/8 (28 Overs)

FoW: 1-9, 2-59, 3-68, 4-76, 5-87, 6-114,

7-115, 8-135

West Indies bowling: Edwards 6-1-26-3, Powell 5-0-18-0, Taylor 6-0-26-2,

Pollard 2-0-26-0, Miller 6-0-26-2,

Gayle 3-0-28-1

WEST INDIES

C Gayle b Vettori 36

S Chattergoon b Southee 6

R Sarwan not out 67

X Marshall b Oram 2

B Nash b Patel 15

K Pollard c Taylor b Mills 3

D Ramdin not out 28

Extras: 1 (lb 1)

Total: 158/5 (27.5 Overs)

FoW: 1-14, 2-61, 3-68, 4-96, 5-110

New Zealand bowling: Mills 6-0-27-1, Southee 5.5-1-38-1, Patel 5-0-39-1,

Oram 5-0-25-1, Vettori 6-0-28-1