New Zealand versus West Indies – by the book

The current test series in the Caribbean involves the two sides at the heart of my cricketing love – New Zealand and the West Indies. One is a patriotic, almost familial, love for the countrymen of my home land, the other an unconditional but passionate affair for the men assembled from a collection of tiny Caribbean islands who instilled in me a love of our great game from an early age.

The 2012 edition is the 14th series between two sides as different as a withering recluse and a gregarious extrovert – it’s not hard to guess who sits where. Numbers and statistics never tell the full story – they often hide the human element that is so pivotal in sporting endeavours. What follows involves both numbers and stories – statistics and situations that provide some insight into 60 years of enthralling history.