At a glance

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New Zealand captain Kane Williamson exercised his usual caution under the RA Vance Stand yesterday, fully aware that the United Arab Emirates triumph in vastly different conditions is now history and that they’ve made hard work of previous Basin tests.

‘‘As soon as it comes to tomorrow it’s 50-50 and it’s whoever plays the best cricket. For us, it’s about playing our best, and smart cricket, to give us the best chance,’’ Williamson said.

‘‘There’s always things you want to improve, but one of the highlights was the constant fight the team showed throughout when the game ebbed and flowed a lot.’’

A typical emerald green pitch will mean both captains bowl if they win the toss. The last four bowl-first sides have won at the Basin. New Zealand were skittled up front by Australia (2016) and South Africa (2017) and lost, then sent Bangladesh in two years ago and conceded 595-8.

They scrapped hard to win that game, and beat a Sangakkarainspired Sri Lanka in January 2015 after batting first and conceding a deficit of 135.

Williamson will want to rid the sluggish starts and dominate from ball one as they did against West Indies a year ago, with the world No 2 test ranking beckoning if they win both tests.

‘‘On these wickets that offer to the seamers, you do bowl good balls but at the same time they are good wickets where scoring can happen quickly if you miss. It’s important we are disciplined with the ball.’’

That task will fall to the big three of Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Neil Wagner, reunited after a spindominated UAE series. Wagner battered the Bangladesh and West Indies batsmen here and after sitting out the third test for Southee, will be charging in and utilising the bounce if the two senior swing men don’t come off early.

Williamson confirmed a predictable XI with Matt Henry missing out again, and spinner Ajaz Patel playing his first home test, deservedly for the top Plunket Shield wicket-taker three seasons straight.

Openers Tom Latham and Jeet Raval both need confidenceboosting runs while Williamson arrives at the peak of his powers, second to Virat Kohli on the world rankings and with an average against Sri Lanka of 91.88.

Chandimal is familiar with Basin conditions and will hope to give his lively but inexperienced quicks first use.

In their previous away test, pacemen Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara and Kasun Rajitha skittled West Indies for 93 in Barbados in June for a series-levelling fourwicket win.

‘‘In the past series [in New