No guts, no glory
Hamilton, New Zealand - West Indies captain Brian Lara lashed his team for its lack of 'guts' after New Zealand won the first Test by nine wickets yesterday
22-Dec-1999
Hamilton, New Zealand - West Indies captain Brian Lara lashed his team for
its lack of 'guts' after New Zealand won the first Test by nine wickets
yesterday.
It was New Zealand's first win over the Windies since the third Test at
Christchurch in 1987.
Lara was lamenting his side's loss after they completely dominated the
first day, when the West Indies went to stumps on 282 for one.
'I take full responsibility for the loss,' he said. 'After that first day
we were too complacent on the second day and let them back into the match.
We took things for granted.
'I assumed we would go on to 500 and shut New Zealand out of the match.
'Instead the New Zealanders fought back and for a time we played with no
guts at all. But some day soon that is going to stop and I think
Wellington's the best place to start.
'New Zealand took their opportunities and fully deserve their victory.'
Second Test
The second Test of the two-match series starts at the Basin Reserve in
Wellington on Sunday (Christmas night Barbados time).
Set 70 to win, after bowling the West Indies out for just 97 in their
second innings, New Zealand cruised to a comfortable victory.
New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming, suffering from a stomach virus, did
not take to the field, arriving at the ground just before the West Indies
were all out.
'What better way to get better,' he told reporters.
'I watched a few wickets on television and I felt like I was missing out,
so I came down here pretty smartly.'
Fleming put the side's win down to taking the 'huge opportunity' to
improve after New Zealand's dismal first day.
'We began to get a sniff during the second day and we've begun to show
that when we're given a sniff of victory we do very well.
'We got the opportunity here and we put it away.'
Lara was critical of his own batting performances in the Test. He was out
to a loose shot after hitting a quick 24 in the first innings and was out
to a wild slash outside off stump in the second.
'I am the first to admit that the shots I went out to were a little
irresponsible and I'm obviously very disappointed with that,' he said.
Both Lara and coach Sir Viv Richards were disappointed but not
disheartened by the loss, and maintained they would learn enough lessons
from the defeat quickly enough to have the team in competitive mood for
the second Test.
New Zealand won the Test but lost the services of their senior opening
batsman Matt Horne, who had a finger broken by a Franklyn Rose flier
during New Zealand's brief second innings.
His replacement is likely to be either Matthew Bell or Matthew Sinclair.