England secured a dominant position in the Second Test today and refused to be influenced by the prospect of imminent rain.
With Cyclone Sandra apparently due in Wellington any day, Matt Prior, the team’s vice-captain, said: “We can't worry about the weather. The amount of times that weather forecasts have been horribly wrong, it's not something that we're thinking about.”
Instead, the tourists, who were propelled to a first innings total of 465 all out by Prior’s high calibre innings of 82, will be heartened by a pitch that is beginning to be more encouraging for bowlers.
“The
wicket has changed enough to show that it's going to deteriorate,” Prior (above) said.
“It spun a little bit today as well sand there's still that little bit of pace
and carry, as you've seen tonight.
“So there's plenty there for us to work with. It's just about getting our processes right, making sure our skills are right and our basics are right and not chasing the game too much.”
Prior played a typically bustling innings to ensure that England did not waste the secure position they built on the first day. He shared an eighth wicket partnership of 83 with Steve Finn after the loss of three wickets in the morning session and another two soon after lunch.
“It
was nice to contribute,” said Prior. “More importantly for me was the
contribution again from Steven Finn. There was a lot said about his innings in
the last Test match but it was a slightly different situation today and he
stepped up. It's so important, those guys putting in those contributions at the
bottom.
“Even if he's just batting time and someone else is able to score at the other end, it is so vital. It can turn a game at a time when potentially we could have been bowled out quite quickly and not got the score we wanted so hats off to Finny again for all the work he's put in and then taken out to the middle.”
