NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Cricket / Black Caps

Dylan Cleaver: Three things to watch in the second cricket test between the Black Caps and West Indies at the Basin Reserve

Dylan Cleaver
By Dylan Cleaver
Sports Editor at Large·NZ Herald·
10 Dec, 2020 04:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Trent Boult is due a big performance. Photo / Photosport

Trent Boult is due a big performance. Photo / Photosport

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Dylan Cleaver provides three things to watch as the Black Caps take on the West Indies in the second test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington today.

1. Lightning Boult

The best fast bowlers have egos. From the Demon Spofforth, through Harold Larwood, Dennis Lillee, the West Indies rampaging quartet and even Sir Richard Hadlee, they all knew that batsmen often feared them and always respected them. It made them feel good.

Today, the quicks all talk about working as a pack and it means something, but no matter how well they bowl as a group, they'd prefer the crooked numbers in the wickets column to be alongside their name.

In the first test, Boult took two wickets, Neil Wagner, Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson took six, five and four. It's continued a pattern of late. Once neck and neck, Southee (289) has raced ahead of Boult (269) on the overall tally and looks certain to hit 300 first.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Trent Boult is due a big performance. Photo / Photosport
Trent Boult is due a big performance. Photo / Photosport

More than the numbers though, is the noise. People are talking about Southee's second coming, of Jamieson's limitless potential and Wagner has done nothing to disabuse anybody of the notion that he is a national treasure. He has become as much a part of summer as pre-cooked sausages and underage drinking.

The chatter around Boult has gone a bit quiet but that will surely change in Wellington, a city where he has taken more test wickets (45) than any other.

2. Calling the Windies

The simple question is: Can they respond? On their mid-year tour to England they started strongly before the claustrophobic nature of the bio-bubble seemed to weigh on them and they faded.

It's been different in New Zealand, with separate squads training under the cosh of quarantine protocols before being beaten 2-0 in the T20s and taking an absolute hammering in the first test.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

They would not be human if they didn't have an eye on home, especially with strong winds expected to buffet the Basin across the weekend. Yes, they're professional, elite sportsmen who are expected to deal with whatever is in front of them but when you combine the difficulties of touring in 2020 with the small fact that they're overmatched against New Zealand at the best of times it becomes hard to see them going toe-to-toe for long.

Their path to victory will be the same as in Hamilton – win the toss and hope to roll New Zealand on a greentop – but we all saw how well that went last time.

Discover more

Cricket

One more change? The extra tweak the Black Caps are considering

10 Dec 06:00 AM
Black Caps

Major blow for Black Caps as Williamson rushes home

10 Dec 04:23 AM
Sport|cricket

Black Caps get boost ahead of second test

09 Dec 04:15 PM
Black Caps

'On The Front Foot' podcast: Wads and Coney recap the Black Caps' win

08 Dec 04:46 AM

3. One and done

It's a really nice problem to have but one of the offshoots of New Zealand's home dominance in recent years is the pressure it puts on middle-order batsman who realise they're probably going to get one proper bat.

In the midst of this 14-test unbeaten streak they've won a staggering six tests by an innings. On another two occasions they never batted a second time during drawn matches.

On the six occasions they've padded up for a second dig they have finished nought down, two down, three down, four down and twice eight down.

To put it another way, only three times in the past 14 tests has No 6 got two bats in a game.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Black Caps

New Zealand

Former Black Caps coach claims players were 'egotistical buggers'

12 Jul 02:00 AM
Black Caps

‘World-class performer’: Ajaz Patel thrown Black Caps lifeline by new coach

11 Jul 06:00 PM
Black Caps

‘Very committed’: Williamson not done with Black Caps despite Zimbabwe snub

09 Jul 12:00 AM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Black Caps

Former Black Caps coach claims players were 'egotistical buggers'

Former Black Caps coach claims players were 'egotistical buggers'

12 Jul 02:00 AM

Andy Moles hasn't held back about Brendon McCullum and other ex-Black Caps in a new book.

‘World-class performer’: Ajaz Patel thrown Black Caps lifeline by new coach

‘World-class performer’: Ajaz Patel thrown Black Caps lifeline by new coach

11 Jul 06:00 PM
‘Very committed’: Williamson not done with Black Caps despite Zimbabwe snub

‘Very committed’: Williamson not done with Black Caps despite Zimbabwe snub

09 Jul 12:00 AM
Kane Williamson opts out of Black Caps’ test series against Zimbabwe

Kane Williamson opts out of Black Caps’ test series against Zimbabwe

07 Jul 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP