Gutsy half centuries from Evin Lewis and Rovman Powell helped the West Indies scramble to 248 for nine in the first one-day international against New Zealand on Wednesday.
The tourists struggled after losing the toss and being sent in to bat, with danger man Chris Gayle failing to fire and managing just 22.
Gayle fell victim to resurgent New Zealand paceman Doug Bracewell, who celebrated the end of a 15-month exile from the national team by taking four wickets for 55.
Spinner Todd Astle contributed three for 33 in his ODI debut as the Black Caps attack maintained constant pressure at Whangarei’s Cobham Oval.
Opener Lewis was the pick of the West Indies batters with a classy 76, while Powell staged a stirring rearguard action to score 59 off 50 balls.
But it was as a disappointing batting performance after West Indies skipper Jason Holder said this week that 300-plus was the benchmark score in modern ODIs.
Gayle — fresh from notching a record 18 sixes in the Bangladesh Premier League T20 final — was uncharacteristically subdued, failing to score until the fifth over.
His aggressive instincts surfaced when he charged down the wicket to dispatch Tim Southee for six, going on to score freely with Lewis for a short period.
But Bracewell then made a dream return, snaring Gayle with his first ball and then Shai Hope for a duck two deliveries later.
Debutant Shimron Hetmyer came to the crease and helped steady the innings with Lewis, easing the West indies past the 100 mark in the 23rd over.
But a steady stream of wickets to Astle and Bracewell denied the West Indies any momentum and they were limping along at 201-8 before Powell’s late heroics.
