CHRISTCHURCH, Feb 24: New Zealand will continue their search for a solid top order batting combination here Saturday as they attempt to clinch the one-day series against the beleaguered West Indies with a third straight win.

New Zealand won the first two matches in the five-game series but came close to imploding in the second on Wednesday. They slumped to 13-4 while chasing the modest target of 200, and it was left to Peter Fulton, Brendon McCullum and Daniel Vettori in the middle order to save the day.

Opening batsman Jamie How, who made 66 in the first match and a duck in the second, is being left out on Saturday as New Zealand selectors attempt to expand their squad of match hardened players ahead of next year’s World Cup.

But skipper Stephen Fleming denied on Friday a suggestion by West Indies vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan that New Zealand’s approach to rotation revealed an “over-confident” team.

“We won’t compromise the game. Certainly from my point of view we can’t afford to, we’re not that good,” Fleming said.

Although the top batsmen performed well in the first match in Christchurch last weekend, New Zealand’s top order has often looked fragile in recent years.

“I think it’s been good for the first two games with everybody contributing, but it’s back to the top five or six getting the majority of the runs and giving the guys down below the freedom to ice the cake instead of having to win the match,” Fleming said.

“And we’ve got work to do at the top. They’ve got a good opening attack with reasonable bowlers and if we don’t bat well, they will expose us again, so it’s up to the batters to get runs.”

Sarwan acknowledged it was time for the West Indies’ experienced top order to perform after a poor start to the tour.

“We have stressed how important partnerships are and I don’t think one individual player could do it,” Sarwan said.

“But it’s more or less the senior players. The first five in the batting lineup — they have to take the responsibility to get a big score and if one of us can get a big score, we should be able to post a decent total.”

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