KEY POINTS:
Otago coach Mike Hesson has launched an impassioned defence of the University Oval pitch, ahead of its test debut early next month.
Having seen his side rumble Auckland in a day and a half, during which 34 wickets fell, Hesson is grumpy over suggestions the test against Bangladesh could be a disaster on a sub-standard pitch.
The strip, on the edge of the block, was green and damp and neither side's batsmen coped well, with Auckland opener Tim McIntosh's second innings 43 the top score in a game which lasted just 172.3 overs.
But Hesson is confident the pitch for the first home test of the summer will be up to scratch. "Yeah, definitely," he said last night. "It did do too much in the first couple of hours but it certainly wasn't as bad as people have been carrying on."
The combination of heavy overcast conditions, a damp, green pitch and some ordinary batting conspired to produce one of the shortest first-class games in New Zealand. Indentations left by the ball hitting soft turf produced the odd variable bounce once the pitch dried out.
But, Hesson said, that's no reason to fret over how the pitch will play in the Bangladesh test, which starts on January 4. He rubbished much of the talk questioning whether the ground was ready to host an international.
Groundsman Tom Tamati had got more pace into the pitch than it had last summer.
New Zealand Cricket ground assessor Jarred Carter was in Dunedin yesterday and will report back to his bosses. "It's all been blown out of proportion really. I wouldn't be worried about it at all," Hesson said. "We've had a good review on it, we've got a few heads together and talked about things we can do better and I'm more than confident it'll be fine come test time."
And, having seen his team belt Auckland by six wickets, he admitted to being "a bit pissed off" that all the talk is about the pitch.
But NZC will be monitoring developments on the picturesque ground near the centre of Dunedin. They won't have any more first-class games to use for assessment. The next match on the ground will be the test.
* Auckland have scored a one-day match against touring Bangladesh as part of a rejigged itinerary for their month-long tour.
Bangladesh now arrive on December 13, play Northern Districts in two one-dayers at Seddon Park on December 16 and 18; and Auckland at Eden Park's outer oval on December 21 before the Twenty20 festival games in Hamilton on December 23.
* Out-of-favour England batsman Andrew Strauss is expected to be confirmed as a Northern Districts player this week. Strauss, 30 and a 43-test veteran with an average of 40.79, hit a century on test debut against New Zealand at Lord's in 2004.
