New Zealand beat West Indies in third test, win series

Monday, 23 December 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

REUTERS: Kane Williamson completed his second half-century of the match to take New Zealand to an eight-wicket victory in the third and final test against West Indies and seal the series 2-0 after lunch on the fourth day on Sunday in Hamilton.

Williamson, who had resumed after the break at Seddon Park on 39, quickly moved through to his 12th test half-century by attacking Veerasammy Permaul and Tino Best before he was bowled by Permaul with six runs required for victory. The hosts finished on 124-2 with Hamish Rutherford unbeaten on 48 and Ross Taylor on two, having hauled in a meagre target of 122. Taylor, who scored an unbeaten 217 in the series-opener in Dunedin and 129 in Wellington, shone again in New Zealand’s first innings in Hamilton with 131 and was named man of the match. The 29-year-old right-hander scored 495 runs in five innings, falling just short of Andrew Jones’s New Zealand record of 513 runs in a three-match series. Taylor’s series average was 247.5. New Zealand had not beaten a top-eight nation in a series since they beat West Indies 2-0 in 2006. Until their innings and 73-run victory at the Basin Reserve last week, they had not won a test in more than 12 months.