There has been a fair bit happening off the pitch in the lead-up to today's test between the Black Caps and Sri Lanka at the University Oval but none of it will matter a jot when play gets under way this morning.
The Chris Cairns perjury trial in London must have been playing on Brendon McCullum's mind.
The New Zealand captain gave evidence against his former team-mate during the trial.
Cairns was found not guilty, which in some people's eyes will have tarnished McCullum's reputation.
But the 34-year-old gave a confident and assured performance during yesterday's press conference telling media he was ‘‘very comfortable with the evidence'' he gave.
Of more pressing concern to McCullum and the Black Caps was whether spinner Mark Craig or left arm seamer Neil Wagner would get the nod.
McCullum said the pitch conditions would determine which player made the starting XI, although history suggest the Black Caps will get more use out of a specialist spinner than a fourth seamer if the test reaches the fourth and fifth days.
‘‘You just have to make sure the team you pick, you are not picking for the first day but for all five days,'' McCullum said.
The other complicating factor is Neil Wagner has been in good form while Craig was inconsistent during the tour of Australia.‘‘He is a real workhorse,'' McCullum said of Wagner.
‘‘If we decide to go for Wags then he will probably bowl those long spells from one end and it allows you the ability to rotate your other seamers in shorter spells for a little bit more impact from the other.
‘‘If it does dry out between today and tomorrow, and we think it is going to dry out later in the game, then Mark Craig certainly comes into play.''
The Sri Lankans have had plenty of distractions as well. Wicketkeeper Kusal Perera was sent home from the tour after revelations he has tested positive for a banned substance.
And seamer Dhammika Prasad injured his back during the warm-up match in Queenstown last week and has returned home.
His absence means leading batsman Dinesh Chandimal will take the gloves and retain his spot at No 4.
It is a heavy workload but Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews is confident he is up to the task.
‘‘We know what he can do and he is going to play a massive part,'' Mathews said.
‘‘He is probably the only batsman after me who has played more that 25 tests.''
‘‘I hope not,'' Mathews responded when asked if he was concerned the extra duties may be detrimental to his core role of scoring lots of runs.
‘‘It is a challenge. It is what it is. He is one of our best batters in the team so he has to bat at No 4.
‘‘That is what I think but we will have a chat to him as well and see what he is comfortable with. But I'm pretty sure that he wants to bat at 4.
‘‘He has been wanting to keep wickets as well; it is just that we needed to have some sort of continuity, so that's why we gave Kusal the gloves.''
