Cricket: Black Caps ready for pink ball

Doug Bracewell prepares to bowl with the pink ball. Photo / Getty

New Zealand will arrive in Adelaide today in good shape for the historic first day-night pink ball test starting on Friday.

In coach Mike Hesson's book, there was plenty to take out of New Zealand's two-day fixture against a West Australian XI at the Waca, which ended in a draw.

''We head to Adelaide knowing not everything, but knowing enough," he said, after watching his batsmen amass 426 for 10 - New Zealand batting out 90 overs irrespective of wickets lost, as the host team had done on Saturday.

Opener Martin Guptill's 103 was the star turn. He struck the ball impressively, faced only 109 deliveries hitting 12 fours and four sixes in an innings loaded with clean striking.

"It was good for Guppy to get some confidence today and I thought he played the way he plays best," Hesson said.

There were runs for wicketkeeper BJ Watling, one of two batsmen, opener Tom Latham the other, who had two innings in the day.

Watling struck a neat 81, while captain Brendon McCullum clouted a rapid 49, with an array of aggressive strokes, not all out of the text book, Tim Southee hit 39 and Mitchell Santner 30.

The WA XI bowlers were a mixed bag, but seamers Joel Paris, a tall, lively left armer yet to play a first-class game but already identified by Cricket Australia's national academy as a future test player, and Andrew Tye, who shared seven wickets were comfortably the pick.

Wicketkeeper Josh Inglis also had a day to savour, snaring seven catches and taking a stumping. A shame for him it wasn't a first-class match.

Hesson confirmed both bustling left armer Neil Wagner, who impressed in taking five wickets on Saturday, and allrounder Santner are in the frame for test selection.

"Both will be considered. It'll be nice to turn up, assess conditions and pick a squad accordingly," Hesson said.

Guptill was pleased with the innings and time he spent watching, and hitting, the pink ball.

"It's good enough for me," he said.

"It was just nice to spend a bit of time in the middle and finally get a couple of balls out of the middle of the bat.

"I'm looking forward to getting into it and having fun this week training."

Asked if, after his 94 in Canberra early in the tour against a pink ball, yesterday's innings classified him as something of a pink ball specialist, Guptill demurred.

"I wouldn't say that. I didn't go too well when we were facing it in Hamilton (pre-tour), got hit on the pads about four or five times in the day," he quipped.

It's a long time since Ross Taylor went in to bat at No 11, while Kane Williamson, the other New Zealand batting kingpin, didn't even go out to the middle. It was that sort of day.
Instead, Williamson spent time in the indoor nets with a pink ball, working on aspects of his game.

New Zealand travel to Adelaide today, and won't train either today or tomorrow, when Adelaide Oval is turned back into test condition after hosting the AC/DC concert at the weekend.