Two significant missed chances and a litany of fielding errors let New Zealand off the hook during their rain-interrupted innings of 266 in 49.2 overs. But having compensated somewhat in taking the last seven wickets for 49 runs in 10 overs, the Caribbean side’s batting never fired for any prolonged period.

The sharpness and almost regimental preparedness of their opponents proved too much for a team still struggling to achieve consistency.

The run-out dismissals of Ramnaresh Sarwan for 19 and Devon Smith for 44 underlined the gulf in out-cricket between the teams, while West Indies captain Brian Lara’s demise for 30 - deceived by left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori - effectively ended the match as a genuine contest.

West Indies eventually folded for 159 in 41.2 overs and Vettori finished with ODI career-best figures of five wickets for 30 runs. Amid the acute disappointment of Lara’s predominantly youthful squad, New Zealand’s triumph was richly deserved.

Unbeaten in their last 11 matches and easily topping the preliminary group, Stephen Fleming’s men were streets ahead of both the West Indies and England - tactically and technically - in the tournament.

It remains mind-boggling that a team with such a decent pedigree would not have been granted an ODI at Lord’s in the 33 years since the shorter form of the game was introduced.

Yet whatever they lack in glamour and flair to earn top billing at the world’s major venues, they more than make up for in discipline and efficiency, qualities the West Indies could not replicate.

Having seemingly gained an early psychological advantage when Lara won the toss and put the opposition in, New Zealand gradually gained the real initiative in an opening partnership of 120 off 22 overs between Fleming and Nathan Astle.

They were both beneficiaries of luck along the way, the captain badly missed by Chris Gayle at first slip off Tino Best when he was only on seven, while Astle, on 30, thought he was caught by Ricardo Powell at backward point off the same bowler only for television replays to confirm that the catch was not taken cleanly.

A 20-minute break for rain did not interrupt their momentum, but it was Dwayne Bravo who finally separated them. He had Fleming - who was later voted Man-of-the-Series - caught by Gayle at backward point for 67 and then added the scalp of Astle for 57 just 23 runs later, snared by the same fielder in the same position.

The all-rounder’s 10 wickets were the most in the tournament, but he still conceded 67 runs off 10 overs as New Zealand pushed towards a total closer to 300.

In contrast, the other Dwayne - Smith - made amends for the hammering he suffered against England on the same ground four days earlier, returning the excellent figures of one for 27 from his 10-over spell, his victim being Scott Styris via a miscued pull, again to backward-point.

Hamish Marshall (44) and Craig McMillan (52) regained the initiative in a 71-run fourth-wicket partnership, but poised for the final assault at 217 for three in the 40th over, they floundered against the leg-spin of Sarwan, the West Indies vice-captain, claiming his best ODI figures of three for 31.

Best’s energetic run-out of wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins off his own bowling to end the innings typified a strong end to the innings, but that buoyancy and optimism quickly evaporated when Gayle edged Jacob Oram to Styris at second slip three overs into the West Indies reply.

The announcement later that the hard-hitting Jamaican was the fans’ choice of Man-of-the-Series would have been scant consolation.

Sarwan, whose polished 89 against the English was pivotal in an excellent run chase on Tuesday, looked to be in similar mood before two errors of judgement were pounced upon by New Zealand.

Painfully slow to turn after being sent back by Devon Smith, Chris Harris’ throw to the non-striker’s end found Sarwan well short of his ground.

Smith did not seem unnerved by the senior player’s demise, adding 53 for the third wicket with Lara and keeping the West Indies in the hunt until he hesitated on the captain’s call for a single and Vettori’s direct hit to the stumps at the bowler’s end curtailed his determined effort.

Energised by his excellence in the field, Vettori then deceived Lara and trapped the champion batsman lbw. At 105 for four and with their main hope gone, the glum faces of West Indian supporters among the sell-out crowd were also reflected in the gathering dark clouds.

Before another interruption for bad light and rain however, Bravo perished as he so often does, chipping a catch to short midwicket to give the left-arm spinner another wicket.

The stoppage threatened to drag the match into the reserve day today, but when play resumed after 40 minutes, there was little resistance worth noting, Vettori adding two more wickets and effecting another run-out with a direct hit in confirming the Man-of-the-Match award for himself.

The greatest cheers however, were reserved for Harris, who finally claimed his 200th wicket in ODIs when Ridley Jacobs found Chris Cairns on the midwicket boundary joining Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya as the only players to have scored 4 000 runs and taken 200 wickets in the shorter game.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s drive off Vettori to McMillan at long-on formally ended the match, but the contest was long since over and the challenge now for the West Indies is to lift themselves for the four Tests against England, the first of which will be back at Lord’s from July 22.

NEW ZEALAND

S. Fleming c Gayle b Bravo 67

N. Astle c Gayle b Bravo 57

H. Marshall c Sarwan b Gayle 44

S. Styris c Powell b D.R. Smith 1

C. McMillan c Chanderpaul b Best 52

C. Cairns stp. Jacobs b Sarwan 5

J. Oram c wkp. Jacobs b Best 15

C. Harris c and b Sarwan 1

D. Vettori c D.R. Smith b Sarwan 6

G. Hopkins run-out 0

I. Butler not out 0

Extras: (lb-8, w-9, nb-1) 18

Total: (all out - 49.2 overs) 266

Fall of wickets: 1-120, 2-143, 3-146, 4-217, 5-233, 6-249, 7-252, 8-265, 9-266.

Bowling: Best 7.2-0-57-2 (nb-1, w-2), Bradshaw 6-1-28-0 (w-1), D.R. Smith 10-1-27-1, Bravo 10-0-67-2 (w-3), Gayle 10-0-48-1, Sarwan 6-0-31-3 (w-3).

WEST INDIES

C. Gayle c Styris b Oram 4

D. Smith run-out 44

R. Sarwan run-out 19

B. Lara lbw b Vettori 30

D. Bravo c Styris b Vettori 4

S. Chanderpaul c McMillan b Vettori 31

R. Powell c Marshall b Vettori 18

D. Smith lbw b Vettori 2

R. Jacobs c Cairns b Harris 1

I. Bradshaw run-out 0

T. Best not out 1

Extras: (lb-2, nb-3) 5

Total: (all out - 41.2 overs) 159

Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-45, 3-98, 4-105, 5-106, 6-144, 7-149, 8-150, 9-150.