Cricket: Seddon Park pitch makes for good viewing

Bouncers were the prevailing feature of the Seddon Park test match. Photo / Getty

More power to Karl Johnson's arm; the Seddon Park groundsman produced a test pitch which challenged the batsmen and made for cricket at pace.

You couldn't say Sri Lanka were doing cartwheels over the surface, made for the first time with Patamahoe clay with plenty of bounce, but for spectators it was three and a bit days where there was plenty going on.

''It surprised me a little bit," Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews said.

''We've played on green wickets before - though not as green as that - and we played in Hamilton in a one-dayer and it was a good batting wicket.

''We didn't expect something like that. We knew it was going to swing and have lateral movement, but we didn't expect bounce."

That's one element Johnson and his team will be working on. There were differences in the pace and bounce, which varied from travelling through truly to bouncing steeply, and at times with a tennis ball trajectory.

But cricket is about mastering different conditions. One batting group handled it better than the other, albeit chiefly through man of the match Kane Williamson. The pitch gave the bowlers a chance and made batsmen work.

''It certainly made for good viewing," Williamson said.

''Usually it's about setting guys up with the bumper and bringing it into the fourth and fifth stump [line] where the ball might do a bit, which is the business area for the bowler.

''But because of the nature of the surface, both teams applied pretty similar tactics, which were pretty clear to everyone watching, and were difficult as well.

''Some [deliveries] stood up, some kissed through, but in general I thought it was a pretty good cricket wicket. It will only improve with its consistency and bounce going forward."

Mathews had no excuse for Sri Lanka's awful second innings, when they lost all 10 wickets for 62, after being in a strong, controlling position on the third day.

''We had our chances, especially after getting them all out for 240-odd, we had a healthy lead," he said.

''We just had to bat well and dig deep, but we made a real mockery out of our second innings batting and we just couldn't give enough runs for the bowlers to get them out."

- By David Leggat in Hamilton