JOHANNESBURG - So what do New Zealand do about their team at the Basin Reserve for the second Test against South Africa?
The answer in the batting department is an easy one, even if the selection of Neil Broom surprised some. Broom will replace the injured Ross Taylor (torn calf) and probably bat at No 4.
But it’s the make up of the New Zealand bowling attack that will be under the most scrutiny in the next couple of days.
First there’s the seam-bowling department, where it’s been speculated that Trent Boult only has a "50-50" chance of playing in Wellington after he picked up a hip problem on the fourth day of the Dunedin Test. Boult, along with Neil Wagner, carried a heavy workload on a sluggish surface in the first Test and physically he’s not shaping up well for the Wellington match.
Which leaves a dilemma for the Kiwi selectors. Matt Henry’s been called into the squad, but if he plays it lengthens New Zealand’s already long tail.
They do have all-rounder Colin de Grandhomme in the squad and if he starts, it gives New Zealand’s lower order a more solid look. In Boult’s absence, the Black Caps’ bowling attack could look something like this: Tim Southee, Wagner, Jimmy Neesham, De Grandhomme and Jeetan Patel.
Yes, Patel, who only became a consideration during the one-day series because of his ability to nullify SA’s left-hand batsmen, particularly Quinton de Kock who he’s now dismissed four times in a row. Patel moved ahead of Mitchell Santner, the incumbent coming into the series, during the first Test, and while New Zealand coach Mike Hesson was still saying yesterday that the two were competing for a spot in Wellington, it was the manner in which Kane Williamson used the pair in the first Test that indicated who he preferred.
Patel bowled 69 overs compared to Santner’s 37 in Dunedin, and on the fourth day the latter wasn’t even brought onto bowl until after tea, while Patel had bowled 28 overs in a row.
“They offer something different and one bats a little bit better than the other. It depends on the balance we want to go in with, rather than ranking them one and two,” Hesson said.
And then there’s the nature of the pitch at the Basin Reserve. Rather worryingly, it was revealed on Monday that ground staff hadn’t had a look at the surface since last Friday because of constant rain which has been falling in the Kiwi capital.
The long-term forecast for the period of the Test starting on Thursday is mostly good, but if the pitch only gets two days of preparation beforehand, the top-order batsmen on both teams better prepare themselves for a rough ride.
“I don’t think ideally we want to play South Africa on a seamer-friendly surface,” said Hesson.
That much was obvious from the surface that was prepared in Dunedin, and apparently it is what awaits the two teams in Hamilton for the final Test which starts on March 25.
Captain Faf du Plessis is expecting a “dustbowl” for the third Test and the Proteas are very likely to call up an extra spinner. Conditions, Du Plessis admitted, have surprised the Proteas who picked six fast bowlers in their squad having anticipated green seaming tracks.
Before that though, Wellington should provide more assistance than Dunedin for the quicks, particularly given the lack of proper preparation.
In the 2012 Test at the ground, South Africa batted first and, in between numerous breaks for rain, posted 474 in their first innings.
They eventually left New Zealand a target of 389 to chase in just over 80 overs and nearly pulled off a win on the final day with Morne Morkel registering career-best figures of 6/23 as New Zealand, thanks to a century from Williamson, hung on for a draw.