West Indies v New Zealand 1984-85

Another weak first-innings batting performance by New Zealand committed them to the follow-on, and even though Howarth and Jeff Crowe put new life into their effort on the third day with a New Zealand Test record second-wicket partnership of 210, their second innings folded once these two were separated, West Indies winning with more than a day to spare.

West Indies appeared to be building a substantial first-innings total after being sent in until Hadlee intervened with the wickets of Richards and Logie, with successive balls, and then Gomes, and the West Indian total was hardly a daunting one. However, New Zealand again started badly and their confidence and courage were put to a severe test over the final 55 minutes of the second day, after an interruption for rain, when Marshall and Garner unsettled the batsmen with a profusion of short-pitched deliveries. one ball from Garner fractured Coney's forearm, a crucial loss for New Zealand, and Rutherford ducked into Garner's first ball to him, which hit him on the helmet. Earlier in the day Hadlee had delivered five bouncers in an over to garner, but at no stage did the umpired intervene under Law 42.8 as they would have had justifiable cause for doing. Wright batted through the ordeal for a gritty half-century, but he was soon out hooking in the second innings when Howarth, in his one major innings of the series, and the adventerous Jeff Crowe raised New Zealand spirits by taking the total of 211 for one by the end of the third day. Crowe was already past his second Test century.

However, New Zealand's recovery was halted on the fourth day by the naggingly accurate bowling of Marshall and Garner, who conceded only 6 runs from their first nine overs. Richards then offered the batsmen the temptation to break free by coming on himself, and Crowe quickly on-drove a catch to mid-wicket, having batted for four and three-quarter hours in all. Howarth was brilliantly caught at gully in the next over to his first attacking stroke of the day, whereupon the innings collapsed, the last eight wickets falling for 60. West Indies were left with the formality of scoring 59 to win.