Gayle seizes initiative as West Indies raise hopes

New Zealand 373 West Indies 394-5

Chris Gayle's 204, an innings filled with strokes of awesome power, sent the West Indies into the lead on the third day of the second Test here and raised their hopes of an unlikely, series-levelling victory over New Zealand over the last two days.

Gayle, the 22-year-old opener, took advantage of the perfect batting pitch prepared at the National Stadium for Grenada's inaugural Test, hitting the ball with the force of a latter day Clive Lloyd for his second Test hundred. When he was belatedly ruled caught behind off the pacy and persevering Shane Bond 20 minutes from the end of a hot, sunny day, he had two sixes and 29 fours against his name. There was hardly a shot he did not play and no bowler went unpunished.

The tall left-hander electrified a crowd of 10,000, the largest of the match, with a dazzling attack on the second new ball just before tea. After Bond went through captain Carl Hooper's defence for an lbw decision with a fast, inswinging yorker with the second delivery with the new ball, Gayle hammered successive boundaries off four balls of the next over from Ian Butler.

At the opposite end, he hoisted the first ball of Bond's next over, a no-ball, over long-on for his second huge six. His blitz continued as he raised his second hundred from 120 balls.

Starting the day with the West Indies on 68 for 1, he punished the rare loose delivery from the varied attack with powerful drives off front foot and back. He had three strokes of luck ­ one with a favourable decision at 94 and two to missed catches at 136 and 199, both off Bond. Six short of his hundred, his edge to wicket-keeper Robbie Hart off Butler went undetected by umpire Srinivasa Venkataraghavan, to the New Zealanders' disbelief.

Gayle shared stands of 100 with Ramnaresh Sarwan, 75 with Brian Lara, 38 with Hooper and 143 with Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Sarwan was run out, falling for 29 to Chris Harris' diving save at extra-cover and swift return to bowler Daniel Vettori.

Lara took 13 balls over his first run but took 17 runs from left-arm Daniel Vettori's first two overs after lunch. He was 48 and in ominous form when all-rounder Scott Styris drew a wild slash that flew from the edge to the diving Hart.

Bond's dismissal of Hooper was another psychological boost for the New Zealanders before Gayle embarked on his stunning counter-attack.