If it isn't already the most boring Test match played in New Zealand then, by the end of play tomorrow, the Boxing Day Test against Zimbabwe could be out on its own.

Not since the dreadful 1988/89 series against Pakistan, when Shoaib Mohammad went on a single-handed campaign to cure all New Zealand's insomniacs, has there been a match of such unrelenting tedium.

But then that should not be a surprise as the pitch produced at the Basin Reserve bore all the hallmarks of those dreary days, which almost killed Test cricket.

It is hard to imagine the powers who be in Wellington cricket, who have become used to some of the most spectacular cricket in the country being played at the ground, will not be having a good, hard look at what went wrong on this occasion.

Despite that, New Zealand failed to make the most of its opportunity to spin Zimbabwe out on the fourth day and only ended up taking three wickets. And one of them, Alistair Campbell, was courtesy of a poor leg before wicket decision by Sri Lankan umpire BC Cooray.

In the meantime, the Zimbabweans avoided the follow on and could now test New Zealand's desire to be positive by declaring behind tomorrow in a bid to be given a target to try and win the game.

If the Test does die a natural death, there will still be one thing to come out of the game; a memory of the positive impact fast-medium bowler Chris Martin has made since grasping his chance to play in the big time.

He took four of the five wickets to fall, for 45 runs, and provided an example of accuracy all too rare in the attack on the day.

"I'm happy with the results so far," he said of his fledgling international career.

"I think I'm putting the ball in the right place and taking pressure off myself, I'm bowling the right lines, the right channels," he said.

"It is quite hard to make an impact on a wicket like that being a quicker bowler," he said.

Martin also won marks for his attitude when asked if he had thoughts of taking all 10 when picking up the first four to fall.

"I don't have an ego like that, I'm happy to get what I can get. I would definitely like to get my first five-for at home, that would be quite special to me," he said.

He's now taken 15 wickets in four Test matches at 22.06, a healthy start to anyone's career.

Positive as his effort may have been it was a day of frustration and disappointment from coach David Trist's perspective.

"The spinners [Paul Wiseman and Brooke Walker] had an opportunity to bowl in tandem and create pressure but they were very infrequently able to be used together and at the end of the day we missed an opportunity," Trist said.

"We just consistently didn't maintain pressure and the opportunity to survive became an opportunity to score.

"Flower played well and the others were tenacious and determined from a Zimbabwean side that is known for that kind of play. We didn't probe them consistently enough and paid the price. We only got three wickets in a day which promised much more than what we were able to deliver," he said.

"We haven't taken enough wickets to create a winning game. It is going to take a monumental shift in performance for us to bring the game even into an remote possibility of a finish."

New Zealand will consider all options that arise tomorrow and Trist is not losing any sleep over comments made by Zimbabwean captain Heath Streak that he would declare behind in a bid to get New Zealand to set a target for Zimbabwe to chase.

Martin's dismissal of Andy Flower was a gem, especially remembering the form Flower has been in lately. The innings was his sixth successive score of more than 55 and during today's innings he became the second batsman in the world to pass the 1000 mark during Tests this year.

Flower looked to be handling everything some comfortably when Martin managed to get a faster ball to move across Flower leaving him no avenue for escape and an edge flew to just short of first slip when wicket-keeper Adam Parore dived across to complete the first of two outstanding catches.

The second was from a similar ball to Gavin Rennie when he was on 93. On this occasion the bowler was Craig McMillan who got a ball to lift on Rennie. It was unfortunate for Rennie who was in sight of what would have been a deserved maiden Test century.

But he was thankful for the chance to spend time in the middle and to bat at a crucial time with Flower.

"I really enjoyed batting with Andy. He helped me with my concentration. At the other end I was learning so much from watching him bat. I picked up a few bits of advice just watching him bat.

"Andy Flower helped me concentrate with the techniques he uses. He kept on talking to me between overs and that was really good." Rennie had another personal battle. He is getting used to wearing contact lenses and in the Wellington wind, and the dust that was being blown around, it was tough for him. Bad light on Thursday night did not help either.

"My eyes were pretty sore yesterday," he said.

But not as sore as New Zealand's aspirations which were firmly dashed by the Zimbabwean determination.

© CricInfo