Southee eager to get the ball back in his hands
Tim Southee may be sick of the sight of a sodden tarp covering the Eden Park pitch, but if the weather forecast holds he won’t have to wait too much longer for a better view.
Heavy rain for the second day in a row meant only 17 balls were possible yesterday, the third day of the day-night test between the Black Caps and England, where the hosts added four runs to their overnight score, to sit at 229-4, a lead of 175.
But the weather is supposed to clear in Auckland this morning, which means Southee and his partner in crime, Trent Boult, will likely get the chance to torment the tourists once again before the close of play.
Southee took four for 25 and Boult six for 32 on Thursday to dismiss England for 58, and having spent the best part of three days in the changing sheds, watching their team-mates bat and the the rain fall, they will be fresh and raring to go when they get back out there.
If the weather plays ball, all eyes will be on Black Caps captain Kane Williamson today, and when he decides to make a declaration, assuming his batsman give him the chance - Henry Nicholls was not out on 52 and BJ Watling on 18.
Southee wasn’t giving anything away about the team’s plans, but he was sure the skipper and coach Mike Hesson would have plotted something during the extended periods of downtime, and that they were still in with an excellent chance of capitalising on their first day heroics.
Play will start slightly earlier at 1.30pm on the final two days, as it did yesterday, with 98 overs to be bowled each day.
"The position we’re in now is a good one," Southee said. "The rain has been frustrating, but the work we put in on day one has made that frustration a little bit easier to swallow." Southee played the supporting role to Boult’s star act on Thursday, claiming his first wicket after his new-ball partner had already taken three. The pair bowled all 20.4 overs of England’s completed innings, the first time any New Zealanders had ever done so.
Southee said it was nice for both of them to be able to contribute.
"You’re obviously wanting to take wickets, but when you’re in that huddle and the guys are getting around you for the job you’re doing at your end, you still feel like you’re still contributing to him taking the wickets.
"It’s a great partnership and we’ve bowled reasonably well together for a while now, so it’s nice to see Trent do well and feel like you’re contributing at the other end, helping to build some pressure."
Southee and Boult made good use of the new ball on the first afternoon, but they will likely get to use it under lights this evening.
"I think the pink ball historically has been a nice ball to bowl with first up, but you’ve still got to put it in the right areas and try to get as much as movement as you can," Southee said.
"We had the first use of the wicket and we probably got our lengths right, but we’ve seen throughout, when England have bowled, there have always been challenging times, and our batters have done a pretty good job so far.
"Being caged up for a couple of days, it’s important when we do go out and bowl, that we hit our areas from the start."