Wellington Test, Day 2
Friday, March 22, 2002

It was good to get out there and play at last. The weather has been dreadful for the last three days, and we couldn't have started any earlier. I thought the umpires just about got it right – the run-ups were damp earlier on, and the time the pitch spent in the sun dried it out a bit and made it easier for batting.

For once I was rather hoping I'd lose the toss, to be honest, so that the decision would be taken out of my hands. I wasn't sure whether to bat or bowl first. If we had started any earlier then it would definitely have been a case of bowl first, but by the time we did get under way there wasn't much in it, although the pitch was always going to do a bit for the seamers.

I think the critical time will be first thing tomorrow, because the ball is likely to move about a bit again early on. That was the only reason I might have bowled first, because the side that did field was always going to get two bites with a newish ball.

Once we'd seen that it was going to be a pitch on which the spinner did a lot of bowling – Vettori got on very early for them – we knew we wouldn't need an extra seamer. So then it boiled down to whether we took a chance on Butch. His thumb is all right for batting, and he can bowl too, but we'll have to hide him in the field, at somewhere like mid-on and fine leg. Once we decided to risk him we went in with an unchanged side. My finger turned out OK in the end, although it was a slightly peculiar injury – there was a bit of jarring when I batted earlier in the week.

I was happy with 90 for 2 in the end. Obviously you'd prefer to lose no wickets at all, but the ball was always going to move about, so that's not bad. It was an anxious time towards the end – the shadows were coming across the pitch, and the ball was going from light to dark, and then back into light again. It's awkward to bat when you know you're going to be coming off in ten minutes or so for bad light. But again the umpires got it right – Vettori's last over was OK, because he was bowling from the light end, then we came off before Drum got in an over at the darker end.

We're all relieved that we have finally started. Duncan Fletcher has been very good, getting down here early and relaying the news about the ground to the team. Today he told us not to bother even getting to the ground until 12 noon, because there was no prospect of play until the afternoon, and yesterday we left the ground early and did some work at the indoor school at the rugby stadium. We needed to keep ourselves busy – the last thing you want is everybody moping about in the dressing-room.

Anyway, with a bit of luck that's all the bad weather out of the way. Now what we have to worry about is the first hour or so tomorrow morning, when the pitch will be at its most helpful for the bowlers.

Nasser Hussain was talking to Steven Lynch. His thoughts will appear on Wisden.com, other duties permitting, at the end of each day of the Test series.

More Nasser Hussain
What a game that was
Another fantastic day

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