The Black Caps have won the ODI series against the West Indies, after the final ODI in Napier was shortened due (once again) to rain. Under the deeply confusing Duckworth Lewis system, the Black Caps won the ODI by six runs - ending up on 211/5 in the 36th over before the rain caused the end of play.

The West Indies started the day in absolutely devastating form, with Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul spearheading the attack as the Windies piled on 293 runs. Gayle smashed his way to yet another ODI century, finally being dismissed for 135, while Chanderpaul fell six runs short of 100.

Brendon McCullum and Jessie Ryder got New Zealand's run chase off to a good start, and was carried on by Martin Guptill, fresh off his record setting 122* in Auckland, and Ross Taylor, who was left stranded on 48.

Both captains agreed to call the match off, effectively giving the Black Caps the series. It's not the ideal way to win a series, but it really does sum up how the West Indies' tour has gone - wet and miserable.

So, what can the Black Caps take out of the West Indies series? Well, perhaps surprisingly, quite a lot.

Firstly, the concern over our lack of strike bowlers at the top of the innings. Kyle Mills is without doubt our best on offer at the moment, and while he has produced some good form lately, he does have a tendency to follow up a good game with a pretty average one. Mark Gillespie has the pace to lead our attack, but his accuracy is a worry. He is better suited to the fifty over game, and will struggle to make a name for himself in the Test arena based on his performances to date. He would probably benefit from regular game time, though, rather than being dropped all the time.

Secondly, we need to start looking at future replacements for Jacob Oram and Scott Styris, who seem to spend more time on the sideline than they do on the field. Grant Elliott is OK, and shows some promise, but he's a long way of the level Oram and Styris set with both the bat and the ball. Neil Broom certainly has the skills to score runs, and from what we saw in Auckland he can score quickly, but like Elliott he's rather inexperienced. Time will tell for these two...

It's not all doom and gloom, though. Our batting has shown a marked improvement in both forms of the game, especially with the likes of Ryder and Flynn - who have started to prove their worth in the team. Taylor is starting to find some form, too, which will be good for the upcoming ODI series against the Aussies.

As for the new coach, Andy Moles, we think he's started off his career with the Black Caps not too badly. It can't have been easy watching his team get into a commanding position, only to have the weather spoil the party - but based on what we've seen so far, we think he's making the right decisions. As with the players - only time can tell.

The upcoming series against the Aussies should be a cracker, especially as the Aussies seem to have unearthed a new batting 'sensation' in David Warner - who was plucked from obscurity to help lead the Aussies to a win over the South Africans in the first T20 match. Warner hadn't even played a first class game of cricket before being called into the team. Whilst he's failed to ignite in the first two ODI's, doing what he did once means he can do it again - let's just hope it isn't against us.

Lastly, we end on the news that Matthew Hayden has announced his retirement from international cricket. After what's been a pretty tough Summer of cricket for Hayden, the announcement has come as no real surprise. Hayden has certainly been one of Australia's greatest players, and their best opener in Test cricket - and it's another massive loss for Australian cricket as Hayden joins the likes of Warne, Gilchrist, Langer, McGrath and Martin, who have all called an end to their playing days in recent years.

His no-fuss hard-hitting will be missed, in all forms of the game.

The Black Caps will take on the West Indies in the third ODI on Wednesday, after going down in the second one dayer - which was shortened to 28 overs due to rain. Given that the first ODI was washed out completely, the Black Caps are now in a do-or-die situation, and they will be desperate to put their efforts so far this summer behind them.

While they haven't been playing badly, they've struggled to capitalise on their home ground advantage, especially in the two Tests where all they could manage were draws.

There are several players in the team who need to step up and start scoring runs, because thus far we've relied too much on one or two players to score the runs, and then hoped for some serious tail-wagging. It's time the Black Caps stopped having to rely on those few who do step up. There are eleven players in the team, and they all need to go out there and do their job.

The West Indies have a similar problem, where they rely too heavily on Gayle, Sarwan and Chanderpaul, while the rest of the guys seem to coast by on the efforts of the big three. It was an impressive finish to the second ODI, and the way they fought back to claim victory was great to watch, but what they were effectively playing was a slightly extended T20 match - which they are traditionally good at. Had the game gone the full fifty overs, the story may not have been the same.

Which brings us to our next point - why the hell do they cut the games down to such a ridiculous amount of overs? It's crazy that instead of playing 100 overs of cricket, we get short changed to less than 60. Whatever happened to postponing the game until the next day? At least that way we get the full game, not just a shortened waste of time.

Hopefully the New Zealand weather can clear up for the remainder of the summer, and we'll get to watch some proper cricket.

There's a bit of good news, though. The Indian cricket board has requested that they extend the Indian tour to New Zealand by adding an extra Test. It would be crazy for the New Zealand cricket board to refuse this, as we all know the Indians carry a huge financial weight behind them which could really benefit New Zealand cricket. It would be great for the Black Caps to get some more Tests under their belts, especially against the in-form Indian side.

Let's hope the NZ cricket board do the right thing, and accept the deal.

The first Test between the Black Caps and the West Indies has ended in a draw, after the last day was abandoned due to rain. It's the second day out of the five that has been abandoned due to poor weather, which raises the question - why would you play the first Test of the summer (and we use the word summer tentatively...) in Dunedin, not known for it's weather at the best of times? Sure, the University Oval is a great cricketing ground despite it's small size, but they should have held off and given Dunedin one of the Tests later in the summer, when they would be more likely to get five good days in. Not to mention that most of the students would be back by February, and that would mean a packed ground.

Aside from the weather, the cricket played has produced some positive aspects, and a couple of not so positive aspects. Firstly, the switching of Daniel Flynn and Jessie Ryder has been a great success, with both batsmen scoring plenty of runs in the first innings. John Bracewell must be wondering why he persisted with Flynn down the order, when he is clearly a better player coming in at three - and the same can be said of Ryder moving from three to five, where he too looks a lot more comfortable.

Tim Mckintosh looked OK, but didn't appear to offer any more than Arron Redmond would have opening the batting. Time will tell whether or not he can make a career for himself opening for the Black Caps. His opening partner, on the other hand, is on the fast track to joining the scrap heap. Jaime How has once again failed to score any runs, which has called his position in the side once again to question. We know he has the talent, but he'll need to get himself out of his slump very quickly.

The bowling was average at best, and was lacking someone who could put real pressure on the West Indian batsmen - aside from Daniel Vettori, of course, who was his usual impressive self. We are definitely missing someone with out-and-out pace like Shane Bond, and it's starting to show. Mark Gillespie failed to make the most of his opportunity (once again...), and unless he pulls out a blinder in Napier he will surely find himself back on the outer. He does have some pace, but fails to find consistency with his line and length, causing him to go for plenty of runs. The only thing in his favour is his batting ability, which while not outstanding is a hundred times better than Chris Martin's. Then again, he's not in the side to bat - he's there to take wickets.

The West Indies showed that they're not here to play games. They batted well, and gave some of our batsmen a bit of a working over with the ball, proving they are a dangerous side for anyone who takes them lightly. If the next Test can go the full five days, they are a real chance of beating the Black Caps.

The Black Caps already look a better unit with Andy Moles as coach, though, and while there are a few things to work on, we're confident Moles can get them back on the right track.

The next Test starts in Napier on Friday.

The new Black Caps coach, Andy Moles, has already started making changes to his side in preparation for the upcoming series against the West Indies, starting in Dunedin this Thursday.

The biggest change sees opening batsman Aaron Redmond dropped for Tim Mcintosh, who has been in good form over the past few seasons for Auckland. Mcintosh has already had a taste against the West Indies in the three day warm-up game for Auckland, where he scored 78 against the visitors.

Redmond has failed to set the cricketing world alight, and will join the likes of Craig Cumming, Michael Papps and Matthew Bell, who have all tried and failed at the top of the order for the Black Caps.

The pressure will certainly be on Mcintosh to score plenty of runs this summer, or he could find himself joining the ever growing pile of failed Black Caps openers.

The other changes come in the bowling department, where Mark Gillespie and James Franklin will return to the squad. Their selection comes at the expense of Tim Southee and Chris Martin. Southee can feel a little hard done by, but we're sure we haven't seen the last of him - especially when you consider the amount of time Gillespie has been given a chance and failed.

Martin, who for a while now has been considered our best bowler (at least since Shane Bond left) only has himself to blame for his axing. While he isn't in the team for his batting, the fact is that he is a liability when he comes out to bat - and it means that the Black Caps are effectively 1 down before they even walk out there. He can't be trusted to score a single, let-a-lone hit a boundary off the last over if required - and until he learns how to hold a bat properly, it's unlikely he'll be selected any time soon.

Come on, Martin - it's really not that hard to at least swing the bat.

Without having to jump in the air.

At yorkers.

The last change sees the return of Jacob Oram, who was sorely missed against the Aussies. Oram injured his back in the Tour of Bangladesh, and was forced to miss the two Tests in Australia. But he has been back playing for Central Districts, and more importantly he has been bowling plenty of overs, which is a good sign.

The West Indies won't be easy, and it's going to be interesting to watch Chris Gayle send the ball over the boundary at the University Oval in Dunedin, which has possibly the smallest boundaries in Test cricket. They will certainly be entertaining to watch, and with the likes of Sarwan and Chanderpaul in their lineup, the Black Caps will have to be on top of their game to come away with a win.

Let's just hope the weather in Dunedin can clear up, and we can get five days in without rain.