[1] New Zealand opening batsman Martin Guptill takes part in fielding practice in Hobart yesterday before the second test against Australia starting today. Photo by Reuters. New Zealand faces a quandary when the second test starts against Australia today.
Sometimes the choice at the toss is clearcut. Not so at Bellerive Oval.
New Zealand must attack and is likely to be staring at a distinctly green strip when the umpires walk out today.
On Wednesday the pitch was barely discernable from the outfield; yesterday it was merely bright green.
New Zealand captain Ross Taylor avoided the question of whether, given the choice, batting or bowling first would be the more attacking option.
He maintained the batting debacles at Brisbane in the nine-wicket first-test loss would not affect his call. Backing his batsmen is paramount, was the gist of his view.
But he might do well to heed the thoughts of his rival, Michael Clarke, yesterday. Australia bats first nine times out of 10, thinks about bowling on the 10th occasion - then bats, anyway.
That is the Australian way.
"For me it's more about looking up than looking down," Clarke said, admitting the pitch has more grass on it than he'd ever seen in Hobart.
"If the wicket doesn't change much and it's still a little tacky [this morning] and there's overhead conditions there's a big chance I'll bowl first."
Either way, New Zealand's biggest issue is likely to be up top, rather than in technical terms.
Memories of its lame batting in both innings at Brisbane are painful. The players have been working hard to overcome the desire to reach out for the swinging ball, to oblige the Australian seamers to come to them.
How they've gone about repairing the mental scars from the Gabba will count for plenty.
Whether they can tune themselves into a state of mind that they really can compete with Australia is the key. The players say self-belief remains strong; we'll find out shortly.
Taylor knows he needs a big game, after a double failure - and two poor strokes - at Brisbane.
Before the series began, he had talked of the importance of scrapping hard. Last week the bowlers generally toiled well with little luck, the fielding was poor, the batting abysmal.
"We didn't show as much fight as we would have liked," Taylor said yesterday.
"That was the disappointing thing about it. Any loss is disappointing, but that hit home a little harder than soe other losses we've had."
Taylor might figure attacking with the ball might be the better move on two counts: the conditions might dictate that's the best option anyway, and he'll shudder at the thought of being 96 for five again.
The batsmen will be up against seamers with their tails up, particularly James Pattinson, who ripped the head off New Zealand's second innings with his lively outswing.
Australia has chosen the same XI; Taylor suggested New Zealand will do the same.
Seamers Chris Martin, Doug Bracewell and Tim Southee had their moments in Brisbane. Martin was the pick but not consistently. However Martin did winkle out Australian opener Phil Hughes for 10 and seven. The door is ajar at the top of its order for New Zealand to probe.
New Zealand's three visits to Bellerive have produced one draw, in 2001, and two thumping defeats in the 1990s.
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