Why did Tarun Nethula not play in this test? Maybe he didn't impress in the warm-up game and perhaps team management felt this wicket may get up and down later in the game and thus suit the quicker bowlers.
That could still happen but we have seen, especially at the end of third day's play, yet another day of innocuous Black Cap bowling in dry-wicket test match conditions.
This test could yet turn on its head and who knows what sort of final innings lead could prove challenging? Dry, barren wickets in warm climates do tend to break up late in the game. But I'd say the Black Caps are fighting for a draw.
Another spinner has to bowl in tandem with Vettori and, with all due respect to the useful Kane Williamson, that spinner has to be a genuine threat. If Nethula is not deemed good enough, then my plea to the youth development staff in New Zealand is to find us a big turning spin bowler - and quickly. We aren't going to reverse-swing sides out when we can only do it at 130kph and so right now our attack is only a threat in helpful, seamer-friendly conditions - generally not the norm in world cricket.
This "patience" approach that the Black Caps are trying to employ just is not working. Rarely do they score enough runs to pressure the opposition into panic if they are being contained anyway.
