CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (CMC):

Ramnaresh Sarwan stroked a splendid, unbeaten half-century and shared a scintillating unbroken, fifth wicket stand with Denesh Ramdin, to fire West Indies to an exciting, five-wicket win over New Zealand with a ball to spare, in the second one-day international yesterday.

The elegant, composed right-hander finished on 67 from 65 balls as West Indies, set 158 to win under the Duckworth/Lewis Method, scampered home in the last over to make a winning start to the new year.

In a match reduced to 28 overs per side after rain carved a four-hour chunk out of the clash at the AMI Stadium, New Zealand posted 152 for eight with fast bowler Fidel Edwards grabbing three for 26 to limit the hosts.

Staring defeat in the face at 110 for five in the 23rd over, West Indies were hauled to safety by Sarwan's 32-ball, 48-run stand with Ramdin, whose cameo 28 required just 18 balls.

Sarwan counted just three fours and a six but clinically kept the scoreboard ticking over while Ramdin cracked three fours, to quicken the tempo at the end.

crucial lead

More important, the win gave the tourists a crucial 1-0 lead in the five-match series, after the opening encounter in Queenstown earlier this week was wrecked by rain, with just two hours play possible.

Chasing a tricky target, West Indies entered the 25th over requiring 40 runs from 24 balls and medium Kyle Mills seemed to have tipped the scales in the Black Caps' favour when his first five deliveries yielded just four runs.

But Sarwan put the match back on even keel when he belted the final delivery of Mills' over straight back overhead for six, and the stage for an even more dramatic finish was set when 10 runs came from the 26th over sent down by pacer Tim Southee.

Captain Daniel Vettori's choice of off-spinner Jeetan Patel to bowl the penultimate over proved perhaps fatal, as Sarwan and Ramdin pounced on a healthy serving of full tosses and half-volleys to smash 14, and narrow the target to four runs from the last over.

nerve-jangling affair

Ramdin seemed to have put the game beyond doubt when he scrambled two runs off the first ball from Southee, but was kept scoreless from the next two deliveries to add further drama to the already nerve-jangling affair.

Sarwan should have been run out by Grant Elliott after Ramdin hammered the fourth ball to point and set off for a suicidal single, but he somehow survived to steal the strike and calmly steer the penultimate ball of the innings to cover for the winning run, sparking jubilant Caribbean celebrations.

Earlier, Edwards spearheaded an impressive West Indies bowling effort after they won the toss and opted to field first.

The right-armer accounted for the dangerous Brendon McCullum for one at the top of the order with the score on nine and returned later in the innings to check New Zealand's advance by prising out the big-hitting Jacob Oram for a quickfire 25 off 23 balls.

Opener Jesse Ryder issued early warning signs for the Kiwis when he disdainfully hoisted fast bowler Daren Powell over square leg in the day's second over for the first of his three sixes, as the Black Caps reached 26 for one off 6.5 overs before heavy rain stalled the encounter.

When the match resumed four hours later with the overs whittled down to 28 per side, the tourists had the better of the exchanges, with left-arm spinner Nikita Miller (2-26) and fast bowler Jerome Taylor (2-26), combining to undermine the Kiwis.

Ryder, unbeaten on 20 at the break, finished with the top score of 32 and added 50 off 59 balls for the second wicket with Jamie How (27) before hoisting Miller to Sewnarine Chatter-goon at deep cover off the last ball of the 12th over.

How struck two fours and faced 36 balls before being bowled by Taylor at 68 for three in the 15th over, but wickets fell steadily thereafter with the Black Caps losing four wickets for 47 runs. In the doldrums at 115 for seven in the 24th over, the hosts needed Grant Elliott's 27-ball, unbeaten 30, to escape.

In their run chase, West Indies lost Chattergoon for six with the score on 14 in the fourth over, but captain Chris Gayle cracked 36 in a second wicket stand of 47 from 48 balls with Sarwan, to repair the damage.

Gayle sustained his good form, hammering four fours and a six off just 31 balls but his dismissal - bowled by Vettori in the 12th over - triggered a slump which saw four wickets tumble for 49 runs in the space of 65 balls, as Xavier Marshall (2), Brendan Nash (15) and Kieron Pollard (3) all perished quickly.

Sarwan and Ramdin then allayed the travellers' fears with bold, calculated heroics.

NEW ZEALAND (maximum 28 overs)

J. Ryder c Chattergoon b Miller 32

+B. McCullum c wkp Ramdin

b Edwards 1

J. How b Taylor 27

R. Taylor c Powell b Miller 13

D. Flynn c wkp Ramdin b Taylor 4

J. Oram c Chattergoon b Edwards 25

G. Elliott not out 30

D. Vettori b Edwards 0

K. Mills c Miller b Gayle 6

T. Southee not out 6

Extras (lb2, w6) 8

TOTAL (8 wkts, 28 overs) 152

Did not bat: J. Patel.

Fall of wickets: 1-9 (McCullum, 2.1 overs), 2-59 (Ryder, 12), 3-68 (How, 14.4), 4-76 (Flynn, 16.2), 5-87 (Taylor, 19.1), 6-114 (Oram, 23.1), 7-115 (Vettori, 23.3), 8-135 (Mills, 26.2)

Bowling: Edwards 6-1-26-3 (w1), Powell 5-0-18-0, Taylor 6-0-26-2, Pollard 2-0-26-0 (w2), Miller 6-0-26-2 (w2), Gayle 3-0-28-1 (w1).

WEST INDIES

(target: 158 from 28 overs)

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 (lb1) 1

TOTAL (5 wkts, 27.5 overs) 158

Did not bat: J. Taylor, N. Miller, F. Edwards, D Powell.

Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Chattergoon, 3.4 overs), 2-61 (Gayle, 11.4), 3-68 (Marshall, 14.3), 4-96 (Nash, 20.4), 5-110 (Pollard, 22.3).

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.

Result: West Indies won by five wickets.

Series: West Indies lead five-match series 1-0.

Toss: West Indies.

Man-of-the-Match: Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Umpires: Gary Baxter, Mark Benson; TV - Evan Watkin.

Match referee: Javagal Srinath.