By NAN Staff Writer
News Americas, HAMILTON, New Zealand, Weds. Jan. 8, 2013: Could 2014 be the year the once great West Indies cricket team regains its might? That’s probably the question on the minds of many die hard West Indies cricket fans this morning as they woke up to the news that their team had trounced New Zealand’s Blacks Caps in a historic win to level the five-match series.
Fans have skipper Dwayne Bravo and Kirk Edwards to thank as the two added one century each to take their side to 363 for four, the highest total in any one-day cricket match.
The score means the West Indies have beaten their previous record one-day total of 4-360 against Sri Lanka in the 1987 World Cup.
The Windies men got off to a flying start, thanks to opener Kieran Powell, who made 73 runs from 44 balls.
Edwards and Bravo came together at 3-143 and ended up putting on 211, the highest partnership for the West Indies in one-dayers against New Zealand.
Edwards’ century was his first in ODIs and he ended unbeaten on 123 in an 108-ball knock that included 12 fours and four sixes.
Bravo got the second hundred of his 154-ODI career, before his entertaining innings came to end at 106 when he was caught at third man off spinner Kane Williamson.
The total proved too much for New Zealand in its run chase, as the Windies bowlers made short work of the Black Tops, bowling them out  for 160, just short of the 30-over mark.
Martin Guptill (6), Jesse Ryder (17), Kane Williamson (16), Ross Taylor (9) and skipper Brendon McCullum (6) were all gone by the time the score reached 65. Kyle Mills led some lower-order resistance and got the only six of the New Zealand innings’ before he was run out.
Windies left-arm spinner Nikita Miller finished with 4 for 45, while Bravo followed up his century with a miserly 1 for 12 off five overs to be named man of the match.
The West Indies 203 runs victory means the series ended tied at 2-2, with one game washed out.
The two teams will now play a two-match Twenty 20 series beginning in Auckland on Saturday, Jan. 11th.
SCORE SHEET:
West Indies
K POWELL lbw b N McCullum 73
J CHARLES run out (N McCullum) 31
K EDWARDS not out 131
L SIMMONS c Williamson b Anderson 9
DWAYNE BRAVO c N McCullum b Williamson 106
A RUSSELL not out 6
Sundries (lb4, w11) 15
Total (4 wkts – 50 overs) 363
Fall of wickets: 95 (Powell), 116 (Charles), 143 (Simmons), 354 (Bravo)
Bowling: T Southee 10-0-64-0 (3w), M McClenaghan 8-0-64-0 (2w), N McCullum 10-0-64-1, C Anderson 10-1-77-1 (5w), K Mills 8-0-60-0, K Williamson 4-0-30-1 (1w)
New Zealand
M GUPTIL b Bravo 6
J RYDER c Simmons b Holder 17
K WILLIAMSON lbw b Holder 16
R TAYLOR c Ramdin b Miller 9
B McCULLUM c Charles b Miller 6
C ANDERSON b Bravo b Russell 29
L RONCHI hit wkt b Miller 15
N McCULLUM c Ramdin b Russell 18
K MILLS run out (Holder) 26
T SOUTHEE b Bravo b Miller 9
M McCLENAGHAN not out 0
Sundries (lb6, w3) 9
Total (all out – 29.5 overs) 160
Fall of wickets: 21 (Guptill), 37 (Ryder), 45 (Williamson), 50 (Taylor), 65 (B McCullum), 94 (Anderson), 123 (N McCullum), 125 (Ronchi), 151 (Southee), 160 (Mills)
Bowling: J Holder 5-0-35-2; Dwayne Bravo 5-0-12-1, N Miller 10-1-45-4, S Narine 5.5-0-31-0, A Russell 4-0-31-2 (3w)
Result: West Indies won by 203 runs
Man of the Match: Dwayne Bravo (West Indies)
