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Justin Langer's Postcards |
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FRIDAY 31 March 2000
Day one first test, WestpacTrust Park, Hamilton
Apart from the unfortunate dismissal of Matty Hayden before stumps, we have had a fantastic day on this first day in Hamilton. Determined to leave our best cricket until this last Test match, our bowlers were sensational throughout the day.
Up and coming superstar Brett Lee took his second five-wicket haul in Test cricket with an awesome display of control and aggression. He is an excitement machine with a cricket ball in his hand. Like poetry, his run up is fluent and smooth, while his delivery and resulting thunderbolt is fierce and potentially harmful to the batsman hopping around the crease a pitch length away. His inclusion in this team in December has added a new dimension to what was already a strong combination. Having his raw pace and youthful enthusiasm as a part of our armoury has turned our bowling attack into one sure to provoke sleepless nights to opposition batsmen worldwide. He is a fantastic young man who looks certain to take the international cricket world by storm for a long time to come.
Before the coin was tossed this morning our preparation for the game had been as thorough as ever. Winning this Test match means a great deal to every member of this team. During our team meeting last night all of the guys spoke about what this match meant to them and how they were going to approach this test final Test of the summer. In a nutshell most of the boys talked about playing our, and their, best cricket over the next five days. Although we have won the first two Tests everyone agrees that we are still off playing as well as we can. As daunting as this may sound to the New Zealanders and their supporters, I honestly believe we can improve in many aspects of our game. This in itself is very exciting for the team because although we are winning we still have room for improvement. With this in mind the sky is the limit for development of this already successful team.
Winning the toss this morning may have seemed a huge benefit on a grassy pitch but having played at this ground a few weeks ago I think the pitch is likely to become flatter and flatter as the game goes on. In a perfect world we would have been no wickets at stumps but as it stands we are in a great position going into day two tomorrow.
From Hamilton, JL
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