Basin barrage inevitable:
It was there in full view from the Basin Reserve’s Long Room, a gleaming emerald green strip amid a scarred, late season wicket block.
But the second test pitch didn’t even elicit a curious glance from New Zealand’s new ball duo Trent Boult and Tim Southee who know another tough slog awaits when the forecast Friday downpours eventually clear.
After taking 103 overs to finish off Bangladesh’s second innings and claim victory on a docile Hamilton pitch on Sunday, the Black Caps arrive in Wellington with fresh memories of December’s wicketless fourth day against Sri Lankan pair Angelo Mathews and Kusal Mendis.
They reached 287-3 off 115 overs on an easy-paced surface to secure the draw – with weather assistance – after Tom Latham’s 264 not out. It left coach Gary Stead calling for more balance between bat and ball on home pitches.
After a long, dry summer that’s easier said than done for ground staff trying to present a surface with pace and bounce that suits the home side.
Boult took a memorable 10-80 against West Indies at the Basin in 2013 when the ball swung around corners, but in six Wellington tests since the pace spearhead hasn’t taken more than three wickets in an innings.
‘‘I’m expecting similar conditions [to December]. Hopefully, we don’t experience a day four where it was chanceless and wicketless. If so we need to find ways to take wickets and we feel we’ve got the abilities in the group to do it,’’ Boult said.
‘‘You’ve just got to [have a positive mindset]. We’ve played enough cricket here to understand what the wicket is like, and there’s been a lot of batting records scored here for a reason. It’s a solid wicket and it only gets better.
‘‘Hopefully, we can start well and get in front of the game early on and react from there.’’
Boult ended with 5-123 off 28 overs in Hamilton as Bangladeshi pair Soumya Sarkar (149) and captain Mahmudullah (146) offered stern resistance and counter-attack.
With minimal swing on offer the Black Caps resorted to the familiar short-pitched attack led by Neil Wagner; which worked well in the first innings after a poor start with the new ball but wasn’t so effective on day four.
Two years ago at the Basin, New Zealand sent Bangladesh in and they scored 595-8 declared. The Black Caps won by seven wickets after Wagner pounded the tourists into submission with a sometimes frightening barrage on a surface that quickened up.
Said Boult: ‘‘I’m pretty sure they’ll be expecting it. In my option it’s a tactic that works well when there’s not much in the wicket, there’s no swing and you’re almost left with not too many other options.
‘‘We’ve got Wags who
is an expert at being able to execute that plan. It’s something that’s been pretty effective for us so I’m sure it’ll be much of the same.’’
Southee did the early damage for the Black Caps against Sri Lanka in December, generating early swing and snaring 6-68 in the first innings before he and Boult managed just three scalps between them amid Mathews and Mendis’ defiance.
The senior man snared the final Bangladesh wicket on Sunday, ending with six for the