Now the Black Caps will have to bowl, bowl and bowl.
And they will have to do that with seamer Blair Tickner watching from the sideline.
The West Indies fought back at the Basin Reserve yesterday.
They rolled the Black Caps for 278 for nine.
The Windies were 32 for two in their second dig at stumps on day two and trail by 41 runs.
But they have their full battery of seamers available, whereas the Black Caps’ bowling unit will have to dig deep again.
They lost two seamers in the first test in Christchurch, and Jacob Duffy and Zak Foulkes bowled 76 overs between them in the fourth innings.
It was a taxing effort that robbed them of some zip on day one in Wellington.
They would have been happy to spend a day or two with their feet up, watching their side pile on runs.
That never happened.
The Black Caps resumed on 24 without loss. But with Tickner injured, they were effectively one down.
He dislocated his shoulder while diving to prevent a boundary late on day one.
Tom Latham could not get re-established.
The New Zealand captain was lured forward and clean bowled.
Kemar Roach (two for 43) nipped one back and the bails were rattled from the notch they were nestled in.
Devon Conway and Kane Williamson knuckled down and grafted towards lunch.
It is always kind of shocking when Williamson is undone, but it did take a special delivery from Anderson Phillip (three for 70).
It swung in, jagged away and clattered into the top of the off stump.
Bottle that one. It was perfect.
Williamson went for 37 and New Zealand went to lunch at 112 for two.
Rachin Ravindra perished first over back. He flirted with that fourth stump line and got a thin slice of it.
Conway followed shortly after. He had posted 60 and had a lash at a wide ball down legside. Wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach made a nice diving catch to his right.
Justin Greaves chalked up the bonus wicket.
Mitch Hay strolled out on debut with the home side 117 for four and in a little trouble.
He teamed up with Daryl Mitchell (25) in a stand of 73 to help steady the innings.
Just before tea, Hay swung away a well-executed pull shot to bring up his maiden test half-century.
He swatted consecutive boundaries after the break to get his side a lead. But the pull shot proved his undoing next ball.
He clobbered it straight to Roach in the deep and walked off having added 61.
Roston Chase hatched a plan to get rid of Glenn Phillips. The Windies captain brought himself on, tossed it up and invited Phillips to slog out, and he did.
The tail, led by Foulkes (23 not out), added some handy runs. But the Black Caps finished well shy of where they would have wanted to be.
