That Cork did not risk bowling with his sore back did not necessarily mean that he would not play. On the contrary, there seemed to be an increasing likelihood that he would, giving England every chance of upstaging the best New Zealand bowling attack since the retirement of Richard Hadlee.
Cork exercised freely enough, something which seemed unlikely to happen after his sudden departure from the field in Hamilton on Sunday with soft tissue damage to his lower back. The educated guess was that he would play, with Alan Mullally to support him with in-swing from the other end, Darren Gough and Craig White to back them up and Philip Tufnell to gain selection, narrowly, ahead of Robert Croft as the spin bowler.
There was no mistaking which of the two captains was the more relaxed at the pre-match press conferences. Lee Germon is the same age as Mike Atherton, 28, but he is greatly less experienced, having been plucked from obscurity, outside his own country at least, last season, and he is commensurately less world-weary. If Atherton's mood was one of quiet determination, Germon was all calmness, courtesy and smiles.
He has made an impressive start, as batsman, wicketkeeper and captain, in his 10 Tests in charge, but his record and that of New Zealand under his command is poor: five draws, four defeats and a win. The win, against Pakistan two months ago in Lahore, was outstanding and only one of the defeats has been at home. Nevertheless, New Zealand start the majority of their Tests as underdogs and this one, England's tour of Zimbabwe notwithstanding, is no different.
The combination of some rather more lively pitches around the country, a potentially dangerous trio of fast-medium bowlers in Doull, Danny Morrison and Chris Cairns, and a captain prepared to take a few risks promises positive cricket. David Lloyd had a good look at Doull in the two-day practice match in Auckland which his opposite number, Steve Rixon, arranged to make up for the lack of first-class cricket in the six weeks since his team arrived back from Pakistan.
Doull has been playing first-class cricket for eight years and Test cricket for five, so he is hardly a mystery man but the fact is that this England side have not yet experienced his mixture of lively out and in-swing, likened by Lloyd to Phil Newport's. Injuries have held him back, but he takes his first-class wickets at 26 each, which is good given the pitches here, and his 13 Tests have so far produced 43 wickets at 29, taken at a rate of a wicket every 55 balls.
To put that into context, Cork's have come every 56 balls so far, Morrison's at 63. The most phenomenal strike rate belongs to Waqar Younis, 39, which compares historically with Dennis Lillee, 52, Richard Hadlee, 50, and Alec Bedser, 67; remembering, of course, that Sir Alec had to bowl against Don Bradman on different pitches and with different balls.
The Kookaburra ball being used in this series does not have a prominent seam but swings a good deal for the first 15 overs or more, depending on conditions. On a relaid pitch which is being used for the first time for a first-class match, the expectation is that the battle between the top-order batsmen and the new-ball bowlers may decide the game. The shine may last a little longer than usual because of an especially green outfield on this strangely-shaped ground, more a 50-pence piece than a circle or an oval, with its 50-yard boundaries at third-man and fine-leg on either side.
Over the years, however, Eden Park pitches have tended to be comfortable to bat upon once the early morning life has gone and winning is difficult as England's bowling coach, John Emburey, ruefully recalls. He had second-innings figures of 57-24-91-1 here in 1988. Ten years before that, Phil Edmonds and Geoff Miller bowled 75 overs between them in the second innings, but although they both took three wickets, the result was the same: a draw.
There are strong indications that New Zealand will leave out their ordinary-looking left-arm spinner, Mark Haslam, which does not enhance England's chances because Justin Vaughan, who will play if Haslam does not, is a solid all-rounder. England's seems. It would be a shame if Croft's Test career is interrupted after three promising games but Tufnell is still a name which creates anxieties in New Zealand ranks after his match-winning perfor- mance in the first Test at Christchurch four years ago and the artful dodger is bowling and behaving well.
Behaviour, of course, is likely to be sternly watched over by the referee, Peter Burge, whose presence here gives Atherton one more concern as he tries to resuscitate his batting. Burge told me yesterday that there would be no repercussions from the events of 1994, when Atherton was fined by his own board at Lord's and by Burge at the Oval. ``I've got no problems with Mike,'' he said. ``He's got some ticker and Australians like that.''
It would be best if Burge has a peaceful series and no cause to add further to the reserves of the International Cricket Council. It would do wonders for everyone's morale, indeed, if the Auckland match sets the trend for a decent series. It need not be stressed what the game means to this England side in particular and English cricket generally.