AUCKLAND, New Zealand, CMC

Chris Gayle's tremendous power-hitting lifted West Indies to a momentous win Friday night when the first ever "super over" was used as a tie-breaker for the first Twenty20 International.

After the two sides battled astonishingly to their second consecutive tie in a Twenty20 fixture, Gayle lashed three massive sixes in the decisive super over and left the field to a standing ovation as more than 20,000 fans at Eden Park witnessed the first "super over" elimination in cricket history.

New Zealand had scored 155 for seven off their 20 overs and West Indies replied with 155 for eight in a dramatic finish that sent the game into the first ever super over tie-breaker that would see each team facing a single over to score as many runs as possible.

Gayle, who had already factored considerably in the game as top-scorer with a half-century and leading West Indies bowler, shouldered the responsibility again in the tie-breaker and smashed all 25 runs in the West Indies' super over.

famous win

New Zealand's reply against the left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn only amounted to 15, handing the West Indies a famous win.

"I thought it was a good one over game, both teams enjoyed it I am sure, and it was good that we've come out on top," said Gayle, the West Indies captain.

After choosing to bat, the Black Caps made a fair but unspectacular start.

Brendon McCullum smashed three boundaries off Lionel Baker but was the first to fall - at 21 for one - when he went at the Montserratian medium pacer again and was caught at mid-on by Benn off the last ball of the third over.

McCullum made 14 off 10 balls.

Fidel Edwards used his first ball of the match to bowl Jesse Ryder for 12, breaching the left-hander's defence as he pushed forward at 37 for two in the sixth over.

It became 70 for three in the 10th over when Scott Styris (21) gave an easy return catch to slow medium pacer Kieron Pollard.

The 33-year-old veteran hit two fours and a six in a 12-ball innings.

Potentially dangerous Jacob Oram went next for 13 off 14 balls at 104 for four in the 15th over.

The 6-foot-6-inch left-hander lofted Benn to the cover boundary where Xavier Marshall took a comfortable catch.

Four balls later, Gayle clutched a sharp return catch when the left-handed James Franklin (2) stroked a firm knee-height drive back at him.

Ross Taylor was the engine of the New Zealand innings with a shot-filled 63 off 50 balls, laced with four fours and four sixes.

Set 156 to win, West Indies opted to promote batting ace Shivnarine Chanderpaul to open with Gayle and the pair started positively.

They marched to 19 in the first two overs - with Gayle thumping three boundaries off young pacer Tim Southee - but pacer Kyle Mills struck with the first ball of the third over to remove Chanderpaul (6) via a return catch.

Mills reacted very quickly and snared a sharp falling catch to his left.

got into stride

New batsman Xavier Marshall got into stride quickly and before the wicket-taking third over had ended, the 22-year-old right-hander had taken a four and a six off Mills.

Aggressive Gayle then banged Southee for a four and consecutive sixes in the next over as the Windies rushed to 47 for one off just four overs.

The run-rate slowed over the next few overs although Gayle during that period stroked one of the shots of the match - an effortlessly flicked six off Jeetan Patel over the mid-wicket boundary.

Daniel Vettori's first ball of the match removed Marshall to end the 63-run second-wicket stand.

Marshall tried to cut an arm-ball from the left-arm spinner that was too close to him and was bowled for 28 off 24 balls with three fours and a six.

Gayle brought up his 50 - in the 13th over- with a boundary, belting a straight drive past Oram and finished that over with consecutive sixes off the big all-rounder.

Ramnaresh Sarwan's struggling form continued. He made only four before lofting an easy catch to Daniel Flynn at point off Vettori and Gayle fell for 67 in the next over trying to attack the off-spinner Patel.

He went high for maximum but the ball fell safely to Taylor moving in from the long-off boundary as the Windies dipped from their solid position two overs earlier, to 114 for four in the 15th over.

Coming off a superb 197 in the second Test in Napier earlier this week, the in-form Gayle faced only 41 balls in his innings and hit five fours and five sixes.

The second Twenty20 is set for Sunday (Saturday night Caribbean time) at Seddon Park in Hamilton.