By RICHARD BOOCK
WELLINGTON - Adam Parore was not the only one relieved at his partial return to form in the first cricket test against Australia.
Dropped for the previous two one-day internationals, the New Zealand wicketkeeper overcame an anxious start at Auckland to turn in an encouraging performance with the gloves and bat, to the delight of the man responsible for retaining him - chairman of selectors Ross Dykes.
Parore, looking to continue his improvement in the second test starting on Friday, was thoroughly tested by the wildly spinning Eden Park surface and, though not quite emerging squeaky clean, at least convinced the selectors of the accuracy of their decision.
Under mounting pressure to axe him from the test squad following Chris Nevin's star contribution in the final ODI, Dykes said yesterday that he would not have been human had he not felt the heat.
"To be honest, my heart was in my mouth," he said of Parore's performance in the first test. "You think you're doing the right thing, but you certainly feel the pressure and there's a degree of relief involved when things work out.
"Equally, you also feel pressure to remain analytical and to avoid knee-jerk reactions, especially when you're dealing with such a small pool of potential players. You have to be very cautious."
Dykes, a former first-class wicketkeeper, said Parore had done enough on a treacherous surface in Auckland to reinforce his view that the panel should persevere with the 59-test campaigner who, at 29, would probably face the final curtain on his international cricket if he was dropped.
To complicate the issue last week, Parore was faced with rescuing his career on the mini-Kalahari that was Eden Park, and Dykes believes the fact that the spotlight was continually on the gloveman may have worked in his favour.
Parore accepted two catches and also had two stumpings, while standing up to Vettori, and looked comfortable with the bat in both innings.
"It was one of those tests where the keepers were always in the game and I think that suited Adam," Dykes said. "It certainly wasn't an easy pitch to keep on and I thought he showed a lot of signs that he was getting back to his best.
"It would have been nice had he gone on [with the bat] in the second innings, but the risk factor was high on that pitch and in many ways it was just a matter of time until you were dismissed."
Dykes said he felt vindicated to a degree over his decision to retain Parore, both in terms of the incumbent's career and that of Nevin.
"We may well have done Chris a favour by not picking him for that match, and there were some pretty strong reasons for hanging on to Adam, not least of all his experience, which is critical against these guys."
The Australian and New Zealand squads arrived in Wellington yesterday to begin preparations for the second test, with the tourists opting to stay at the Park Royal Hotel rather than the James Cook Centra, where they stayed last time.
Australia were left red-faced on the eve of last month's first ODI after a copy of their briefing papers was allegedly slipped under a guest's door and later broadcast over a local radio station's breakfast show.
Team sources have denied the leak prompted the switch in hotels.
Cricket: Relief all round as Parore slips back into form
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