Black Caps in a pitch battle
Gary Stead stopped short of publicly demanding a green seamer in Christchurch, but ground staff will know exactly what is needed to keep the New Zealand coach happy in the Boxing Day test.
After his first home test at the helm ended in a draw against Sri Lanka on a super-flat Basin Reserve pitch, Stead called for more assistance for the bowlers on New Zealand surfaces which he rated the most batsman-friendly in the world.
Sri Lankan duo Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews batted 108.4 overs together in a record unbroken fourth wicket partnership of 274 to save a draw for the visitors, helped by some day five Wellington rain.
Opener Tom Latham earlier batted 694 minutes for his 264 not out – the third-longest New Zealand test innings and sixthhighest.
Stead had some sympathy for groundsman Hagen Faith, observing the strong day four wind had ‘‘sucked the moisture’’ out of the pitch. The usual Basin bounce was absent and there was nothing for the quicks to get enthused about.
‘‘Traditionally we have good wickets in New Zealand and they’re more batter-friendly than they are in a lot of other places in the world. Getting test wins in New Zealand is difficult. We need to keep looking at our ways to find chances when it’s tough. And the conditions were very, very tough out there,’’ Stead said.
With no bounce for the likes of Neil Wagner, or spin for Ajaz Patel, it even made Stead yearn for the United Arab Emirates pitches which turned sharply and meant Patel and Will Somerville came into the game late as they beat Pakistan 2-1.
But Stead insists he won’t be badgering Hagley Oval groundsman Rupert Bool for a tailormade pitch for the seamers where Colin de Grandhomme tore through Pakistan on debut two years ago.
Pitch doctoring, as it’s been dubbed, is an issue around the world and New Zealand hasn’t been immune.
The 2002-03 India tour is still remembered for pitches the same colour as the outfield, and New Zealand won easily and quickly. As recently as the 2016 Australia tour, then-coach Mike Hesson demanded green seamers, which backfired in Wellington and Christchurch as New Zealand were sent in, got the worst of the batting conditions then Australia’s batsmen plundered.
‘‘It’s the weather factor and the environment that makes it tough. The danger is if you put a pure green seamer out and you get overhead conditions and a test match is over in two days,’’ Stead said.
‘‘I was involved in some firstclass games last year, three of them were over within two days. I don’t think that’s a great spectacle for test cricket. It’s trying to find that right balance between bat and ball and that can be really tough in our environment.’’
Stead would even be happy with New Zealand pitches where the toss-winning skipper bats first, knowing the dry surface will take turn and variable bounce on days four and five. That’s been seen at the likes of Hagley Oval in first-class cricket in recent seasons. Usually, though, the New Zealand way is to leave grass on for the quicks, win the toss and bowl first, and it becomes a batsman’s dream that never deteriorates.
‘‘What we want to see at all our grounds is when you turn up you genuinely want to consider batting first because you know the wickets will deteriorate enough on the last day that you don’t want to be batting. I’m not sure there’s that many grounds where you can honestly say that.’’