Cricket: Last day a test of team hunger

Tim Southee. Photo Reuters
Tim Southee. Photo Reuters
Imagine you're Tim Southee, Trent Boult or Neil Wagner sitting, presumably with your feet up, in the New Zealand dressing room over the past two and a-bit days.

How hungry will you be to steam in and win a test after seeing your captain and wicketkeeper deliver a batting comeback never to be forgotten in the annals of New Zealand cricket history?

It's fair to surmise the answer is "very". At 94 for five the trio of specialist pace bowlers could barely have predicted they'd have a chance to bowl NZ to victory on the final day with the lead already 325.

As the No 8 batsman, Southee would have been reaching for his pads when Corey Anderson lobbed a catch to Ravindra Jadeja. Now Southee et al have a chance to display their talents in front of crowd who will presumably issue a host of creative excuses as to why they are absent from work on a Tuesday.

Whenever New Zealand declare - Brendon McCullum's dictum to never die with a full chamber suggests that's a possibility - the pacemen will be pivoting at the top of their marks and charging in to deliver fans something memorable.

This will be another gauge as to whether McCullum's leadership is capable of provoking a chain reaction in his charges. How far can his own actions with the bat translate to his bowlers' impact with the ball?

We're about to find out. It's a fair to speculate the Indian openers face a thorough examination.

- Andrew Alderson in Wellington

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