Cricket: Tim Southee counting on Basin Reserve to buoy Black Caps against England

Tim Southee talks to his team during the first test. Photo / photosport.nz

Few would include sunshine among Wellington’s lures, but Tim Southee is counting on just that to cure what ailed his side in the first test.

The Black Caps finished a distant second against England at Bay Oval, crashing to a 276-run defeat yesterday, but the skipper denied there was a gulf between the teams.

In his eyes, the winning of the match was the two batting groups’ wildly varying fortunes under lights - and there was merit to that assessment.

New Zealand, having watched Southee win the toss and bowl, wouldn’t have expected to wield the willow on the first night. But the way that Bazball advances a match, England always targeted an early declaration, and their reward came in reducing the hosts to 31-3.

When it was the tourists’ turn to navigate the deceptive pink ball on the second evening, England in contrast progressed relatively safely to stumps on 79-2.

The Black Caps’ nadir - and decisive period in the test - came 24 hours later as a rampant Stuart Broad left the home side reeling on 63-5.

New Zealand simply couldn’t cope under lights. But they were England’s measure for portions of the match, which provided Southee with solace ahead of the second test at the Basin Reserve.

“There’s a number of things with day-night test cricket you take into account, and strategically England played it pretty well,” he said.

“Our top order had the worst of the conditions. They would’ve loved to have found a way to get through it, and if they had then things could’ve been slightly different.

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“You look at our top three, they’re three of the best players we’ve had. As a group, we trust that they’ll come right when you go back to Wellington and a more traditional test match.”

There is little traditional, however, about the way England will approach the second test. The new style that under Brendon McCullum has produced 10 wins in 11 matches will pose more problems, but Southee prefers to see the openings created by his opponents’ incessant attack.

“The end result was big, but it could have been slightly different,” he said. “We know we probably have to be better, but the nature of the way they play presents opportunities if we do get it right. As a bowling group, you feel in the game the whole time.”

That feeling was not unwarranted and England’s batsmen had a habit of throwing away their wicket at inopportune times; their highest partnership in the test was only 99 runs.

The mercurial nature of their batting was exemplified when battering Neil Wagner on day three, taking 104 from an 11-over spell while losing two wickets and offering the possibility of more.

“The Neil one was an interesting one, because every over there was a half-chance or something that gave you a little bit of hope that a wicket wasn’t far away,” Southee said.

“We know they’re going to come out pretty hot, but it’s a different beast and different challenge in a day test at the Basin.”