A crestfallen Jesse Ryder said he was still "fuming" after throwing away his second chance of a test century yesterday.
As in Bangladesh when he scored 91, Ryder played a loose shot at Daren Powell when he was on 89 yesterday, miscuing a pull into the hands of
Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
"I'm fuming," Ryder said. "To miss out again after being in. I had my game sorted and to throw it away like that... I'm still pretty angry. I miscued it big time, eh?"
Ryder's move down the order was clearly a success, but the burly left-hander would have no qualms about moving back up to first drop if required. "I didn't mind three. I was fine there, but No 5 seems to suit my game better," he said.
Ryder enjoyed an 89-run partnership with Brendon McCullum (25). The two, who open the innings in limited overs cricket, clearly enjoy batting together.
"It makes it pretty easy batting with him. We both know each other's gameplans and get on pretty well out there."
Ryder prospered on a bitterly cold day that started more than three hours late because of a wet outfield. That outfield created a rare cause for smile when the West Indies complained about the kitty litter that had been used to soak up some of the excess water.
Ryder believed it was blatant gamesmanship. "It's interesting isn't it? I guess that was just their way of saying 'we don't want to play today'," he said.
If you're in the straw-clutching business and are trying to find an avenue for an outright victory, you could point to the problems the batsmen appeared to have at the southern end of the ground.
Ryder was hit by one that didn't bounce as he expected. Iain O'Brien was hit and James Franklin took a fearful blow to the ribs from Fidel Edwards.
The discomfort was such that Franklin was unable to bowl at the end of the day. He is expected to be able to rejoin the attack today.
For this game to go anywhere other than a bore draw, a couple of New Zealanders are going to have to bowl the spells of their lives today.
