LONDON, 27 June 2004 — The one-day triangular series match between New Zealand and West Indies was abandoned due to rain at Edgbaston yesterday.

The match was reduced to 21 overs per side due to rain. New Zealand were 97-2 when match was abandoned.

Earlier, West Indies captain Brian Lara’s rapid 36 helped steer his side to 122 for four in their rain-affected NatWest Series One-Day International.

In a match reduced to 21 overs per side.

Ramnaresh Sarwan was 18 not out and Ricardo Powell one not out.

Left-hander Lara’s 22 ball innings featured one six and six fours after his side had stumbled to 59 for three. He took 23 runs off the penultimate over from Jacob Oram before he was out hit wicket trying to play another audacious stroke off Chris Cairns. Together with Sarwan he put on 56 in 29 balls.

Rain had already reduced the match to 35 overs per side when a fresh downpour at 1408GMT forced the players off the field.

West Indies were then 39 without loss off 10 overs. Chris Gayle was 23 not out and his fellow left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul was unbeaten on eight.

But two hours later the players came back onto the field for what was now a 21 overs per side contest.

Kiwi ‘golden-arm’ medium-pacer Scott Styris then struck with his first ball to have Chanderpaul lbw for 14, West Indies 56 for one.

And five balls later he had new batsman Dwayne Smith caught off the bottom edge by wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum for one.

Styris had taken two wickets for three runs in six balls and West Indies were now 59 for two.

They were still on the same score when Gayle, on 30, edged Jacob Oram through to McCullum having faced 49 balls with five fours. Sarwan and Lara prevented further collapse with left-hander Lara taking 23 runs off the penultimate over from Oram.

Going right across his stumps Lara struck three legside fours, the last an outrageous flick to fine leg. He then carved Oram for four and then sent him for six over cover before taking a single. Oram’s four overs cost 41 runs.

Earlier New Zealand — whose series opener against England at Old Trafford on Thursday was washed out without a ball being bowled — saw captain Stephen Fleming win the toss and field first in overcast, seam-bowler friendly conditions.

But West Indies got off the mark with a wide in the first over of the match from Daryl Tuffey.

Gayle then struck successive fours off Franklin, the second a fierce square cut before rain forced the players off the field.