New Zealand's Ian Butler celebrates taking West Indies' Ricardo Powell's wicket in the one-day triangular series at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, yesterday. The West Indies scored 216 all out.
There is no international team at present as adept at so swiftly turning good cricketing wine into vinegar and the West Indies were at it again here yesterday in their latest match in the NatWest Series, against New Zealand.
On the first bright, summer's day of the tournament, they were breezing along at 180 for three in the 37th over and debunking the statistics and the theory of all three captains, that it is preferable to bat second in these matches.
A vintage total seemed to be fermenting in the sunshine, something well in excess of 250, when the process suddenly went wrong, as it so often does.
Through a familiar combination of inappropriate strokes and a couple of silly run-outs against opponents well drilled in the basic requirements of the shorter game, the last seven wickets tumbled for 36 from 10 overs.
Not only were the West Indies all out for 216, a thoroughly inadequate total in the best conditions of the series, but they failed to utilise 3.4 of their allocated 50 overs.
It placed heavy responsibility on their inexperienced bowling staff and when Jermaine Lawson's first delivery of New Zealand's reply was a no-ball long hop that Stephen Fleming smashed for four, followed by a wide and another no ball before the over was finished, there was no cause for optimism.
The hyper-active Tino Best, making his first appearance in the series, was even more erratic when introduced after 16 overs with New Zealand's innings already confidently launched at 76 for one.
He sprayed two balls in his first over so far down the leg-side they eluded wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh to count for five wides each.
When he returned for his second spell, he sent poor Baugh once more sprawling in vain to add another five of the eventual 26 wides out of 35 extras.
Dwayne Bravo, statistically and actually the West Indies best bowler in their three completed matches, checked New Zealand's advance with three more wickets with his nippy medium-pace but he could not prevent the inevitable.
Hamish Marshall, a steady little right-hander, guided New Zealand to their goal with five wickets and four overs to spare.
His unfussy, unbeaten 75 that occupied 119 balls and included only three fours was an example in assessing his role that was lost on several of the West Indies batsmen.
New Zealand's victory, their second in their two completed matches and their 11th in the last 13 ODIs, put them top of the table with 17 points and virtually assured them through of a place in the final at Lord's July 10.
The West Indies, with 10, and England, with nine, are now left to scramble to join them from their two remaining matches.
The West Indies remaining two are against England at Lord's on Tuesday and New Zealand at Southampton on Thursday.
It gives them a few days to regroup but, with two successive losses following their uplifting victory over England at Trent Bridge a week ago, it is a challenge for captain Brian Lara to motivate his youthful charges.
Their confidence had already been shaken by their heavy defeat by England on Thursday. Recognising the need to revive it after losing the toss, Lara abandoned his previously stated preference for placing himself in the middle order to go up front for the first time in more than four years.
He read a true, light beige pitch correctly.
There was none of the sharp movement encountered at Trent Bridge and Headingley and, for 17 overs, he matched the sunshine, lighting up Sophia Gardens and delighting a sell-out crowd of 10,000 with an array of the exquisite strokes on which his considerable reputation is based.
There were nine fours in all directions and a straight six off the fast-medium Jacob Oram that raised his 50 before he was undone by a classic piece of bowling.
Chris Cairns, summoning all the know-how of 190 such matches, had Lara swaying from a serious bouncer that brushed his arm guard one ball, and followed it with a slower one the next.
Duly foxed, the champion left-hander popped up a catch to mid-on.
The effect of the wicket was clearly evident in the New Zealanders' jubilant reaction. Another hour of Lara and the match might have been placed out of their reach.
As it was, he and Chris Gayle shared the best opening partnership of the series, 83 from 17.4 overs, and there was no indication of the collapse that would eventually bring them down as the West Indies advanced to 180 for three in the 32nd over.
Cairns accounted for Gayle to a leaping catch by the little wicket-keeper, Gareth Hopkins, nine runs after he claimed Lara and Hopkins was in the thick of things again when Shivnarine Chanderpaul's careless waft at one from the pacy Ian Butler outside off stump touched the inside edge.
It was hardly the stroke of a player in his 194th one-day international but, as Sarwan went smoothly past his half-century and Bravo joined him in a stand of 48 in nine overs, there was no indication of the nonsense to follow.
It was triggered by Bravo's aerial on-drive off the medium-pacer Scott Styris that found mid-wicket, a regular mode of dismissal that must be of concern to the talented all-rounder and coach Gus Logie.
He was followed by Ricardo Powell, who inside-edged a return catch to Butler off the pad and, disappointingly, Sarwan.
The vice-captain was batting comfortably with 54 off 67 balls, with a straight six off Daniel Vettori's left-arm spin into the adjoining Taft River and four fours, when he chipped a slower ball in Cairns' second spell tamely to mid-on.
Aided by the run-outs of Ian Bradshaw, who finished in the same crease as Dwayne Smith, and Smith, to Fleming's direct hit from mid-off, the innings faded limply.
Tight control was required to defend the meagre total but it was too late in coming.
By the time Bravo intervened, with a return catch off a top-edged hook from the left-handed Fleming, New Zealand were already 114 for two in the 26th over.
They were temporarily checked as Bravo bowled Styris off the pads and Marshall and Craig McMillan, recognising the danger of another wicket or two, bided their time.
Bravo returned to have McMillan spectacularly caught right-handed by Lara, leaping high at mid-wicket, but the West Indies' only other wicket was Oram's, taken at slip off Lawson with the scores level.
It brought in Cairns to finish it off with a typically savage blow to the mid-wicket boundary off his only ball.
It was an emphatic way to end another distressing day for the West Indies. There have been several in the recent past. There are likely to be a few more before this tour is over.