All the talk is of New Zealand’s batting woes of late.

And with good reason. The performance of New Zealand’s top six in three of the four innings against Pakistan during the first two tests raised a pile of questions.

But what about the other half of the game?

New Zealand’s fast-medium trio - Shane Bond, Chris Martin and Iain O’Brien at Dunedin in the first test win, and Martin, O’Brien and Daryl Tuffey in Wellington - more than did their part.

They combined hostility with penetration against a Pakistani batting lineup which - teenage star Umar Akmal and captain Mohammad Yousuf apart - has flattered to deceive.

So all’s well in the seam department. But for how long?

Consider the ages of the incumbents and their current situations.

Bond is 34 and after a spectacular return to test cricket is now gone from the five-day side until at least the test against Bangladesh early in February.

Martin turned 35 yesterday and won’t be around for too much longer. He is targeting 200 test wickets and is up to 174, with four tests remaining this summer.

Allowing for good health and the desire remaining, he could be around for another year.

O’Brien is 33 and leaving for a new life in England at the end of the third test starting in Napier today.

Tuffey is 31 and resurgent, after a successful first test back from a five-year absence from the test game.

And then …

A word around the country with some of the first-class coaches came up with some Read more…

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As someone who played with Shane Bond in his first four tests eight years ago, I was delighted, and pleasantly surprised, by his return to the five-day game at Dunedin last week.

But his latest injury, which has put him out of the current test in Wellington and next week’s third match against Pakistan in Napier, leaves me wondering how long this comeback will last.

The strong suspicion is that his test days are numbered. My advice would be to turn his attention to the one-day game.

The quality of his bowling in Dunedin was no surprise. We’ve long known he has the ability to be among the very best, as a record of 87 wickets in 18 tests shows.

Pakistan captain Mohammad Yousuf, a terrific batsman who has seen the best of the modern game, puts him among the finest he’s played.

The aspect which did surprise me was his pace. He’s 34, has been through the wringer in terms of injuries, and yet he was still able to get the ball through at about 150km/h.

If you’re above 140km/h you’re lively; touch 150km/h and that puts you in a different league.

Bond’s performance in its own right was outstanding, but one point seemed to be missed by most commentators - his work created opportunities for the bowlers at the other end.

Take the eight wickets out of the equation for a moment.

If you watched the Pakistan batsmen, Bond’s presence and pace made them change their game plan.

When he was bowling they were all pretty keen to get to the other end.

They were noticeably more aggressive against the other bowlers, which in turn meant they took more liberties against Chris Martin, Iain O’Brien and Daniel Vettori, and that led to Read more…

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Despite Sri Lanka’s record-breaking outing, India coach Gary Kirsten exuded confidence at the end of fourth day’s play.

Fairly satisfied with India’s second innings score, Kirsten said: “190 for one would have been better. It is a good batting effort and I’m pleased with what the guys did. The wicket’s good for batting, we need to just apply ourselves and put in a nice concentrated effort tomorrow. Hopefully we can see it through.”

On India’s chances of saving the match
We have got the batsmen to do what we need to do tomorrow. But it will require a lot of concentration and a lot of effort. I’m ready to make it a total effort to save the game for India. The quicker we get to the 330 or whatever it is, the better it will be.

On Gambhir being the right guy for it?
We know what he is capable of and he has proven that. He (Gambhir) and Rahul (Dravid) saved us in the Napier Test.

On Harbhajan
The wicket sure hasn’t taken as much turn as was expected. It has been tough for the seamers, there hasn’t been much reverse swing.

On Sehwag throwing his wicket away
We graciously accept the benefits when he makes a big contribution. At the same time there is always a risk attached to the way he plays. That’s the way it is.

1400 runs and only 19 wickets
We are looking at wickets that offer assistance to everyone. This is a batsman-friendly one so they are cashing in. At times, we play on wickets where Tests are over in three and a half days.

Murali on final day
He is always a threat, he’s a world class bowler. It’s up to us to make sure we prevent Read more…

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