KEY POINTS:
Graeme Hick, the England, Worcestershire and Northern Districts batsman, was somewhat unfairly labelled a flat-track bully in his pomp because it was felt that he scored the bulk of his runs when conditions were totally in his favour.
Hick's response was matter of fact: "If I don't score
runs when conditions favour me, I shouldn't be a batsman."
The fast bowlers of England and New Zealand had their chance to bully and dominate during the second test at the Basin Reserve. Some did, others wasted a golden opportunity.
The pristine turf of McLean Park in Napier is expected to provide a different contest. Fast bowlers will have to work hard for their wickets, and those who capitalised in Wellington have a soft cushion to break their fall.
By Monday those who misfired in the second test will fear the worst when the end-of-series averages appear.
At the start of the series, few would have expected New Zealand to be entering Saturday's third and final test with a more-experienced seam attack than their opponents.
Yet that will almost certainly be the case following the England selectors' bold decision to drop Stephen Harmison and Matthew Hoggard for the second test. If the teams remain unchanged this weekend, New Zealand will field a seam attack with 234 test scalps compared to England's 118.
Though contentious, England's decision to drop Harmison and Hoggard was the right one. The pair looked undercooked in Hamilton and have been below par - bar the occasional good performance - for some time. More is expected from senior players - bowlers with a combined total of 460 test wickets - and the move gave England the kick up the backside they needed.
The decision changed the mood around the England team. Instead of attempting to make excuses for the disappointing performance of senior players, supporters, pundits and England squad members were talking positively about a bright future. The knee-jerk axing of players is not always the right thing to do but on this occasion it was.
Ryan Sidebottom was once again the star, claiming six more wickets to take his series tally to 16. Sidebottom had bowled with little luck for England before arriving in New Zealand, but everything seems to be going his way now. The 30-year-old deserves his good fortune. He is a wonderful professional.
There are no secrets to Sidebottom's bowling. He just runs in hard, looks to hit a good length and swing the occasional ball back in towards right-handed batsmen.
Yes, he gets a bit grumpy when things don't go his way but that is because he cares. Away from cricket, he is a shy, softly spoken, low-maintenance man. There is no fuss about him; he just works his socks off and gets on with his job.
James Anderson's international career has been something of a riddle. When the 25-year-old bowls well, as he did in New Zealand's first innings in Wellington, he is a class act.
Very few bowlers can swing the ball away at that sort of pace. The trouble is the good days have been too few and far between, as a test bowling average of 37 highlights.
Anderson is a Mark Gillespie-style of bowler, in that he creates chances but also concedes a few runs. He will benefit from the absence of Hoggard and Harmison.
He seems to thrive when the big names are away, behaviour that suggests he enjoys taking on extra responsibility, rather than being seen as the third or fourth member of the attack. If he continues to bowl well he should get the run of games he wants and England need.
Kyle Mills and Chris Martin have both impressed during England's tour. Martin is a much-improved bowler to the one who toured England in 2004. He is bigger, stronger and far more disciplined.
He bowled beautifully in Hamilton, where he really bent his back to extract bounce from a benign pitch. His bowling embarrassed that of Hoggard and Harmison. It is just a shame for New Zealand cricket that he is 33 and not 28.
Mills is a fine bowler. He may not be fast, but he is quick enough to ensure batsmen do not take liberties, in the Shaun Pollock/Glenn McGrath mould. He has a high action, bowls an excellent line and swings the ball.
If he can stay fit he will be a good, consistent performer for New Zealand for the next four or five years. The same can be said of Jacob Oram whose steady seamers were at times unplayable at the Basin Reserve.
Stuart Broad is similar to Mills but a bit quicker, and has a very bright future ahead of him. There is something about the 21-year-old that suggests he will go a long way.
He is confident, not arrogantly, but in that he knows what he is doing.
Broad is still a little raw and there are technical aspects of his game that he needs to improve. His left arm is at times weak and it falls away in delivery, causing him to run on the pitch. If the pitch in Napier is as flat as people are suggesting being banned from bowling may be the best way of keeping his average low.
* Angus Fraser played 46 testsfor England from 1989-98, taking 177 wickets.
