NZ vs NSW - Day One

Not the best day for NZ to be honest.  Dan won the toss, happy days, and we batted on a pitch that looked very flat and dry.  It was.  And as a team, we've miss an opportunity to bat and bat and bat.  Jamie How was in a different class today.  Of the 266 we scored, Howza scored 170 of them.  He was just amazing today.  Opening the innings and was the last man dismissed to close the innings.  Just one of those knocks that I can say I was there for and saw.  Around him wasn't great.  Only two partnerships reached 50, really not good enough on a surface that you could only dream of batting on.  I missed a straight one, clipping the top of off after it beat me.  It wasn't good enough from me either, I am better than that.  Weight back, not getting to the ball to cover the line.  I guess, in the back of my head, I'm always thinking of bouncers.  Which leaves me very vulnerable to length balls.  And a good length ball was to good for me today.  As I said, not good enough.

A beautiful day, again, in Sydney.  Breeze blowing, which will suit me.  I'll bowl into it, as usual, and it will be helping me try to swing it away from the right handers.  My kinda breeze.  It's going to be a tough day in the field if we don't bowl well; the pitch has been compared in our changing room to the one we played on Chittagong just.  Flat, and very good for batting on.  Looking forward to some more honest toil on a tough deck.

Back to the hotel after a debrief/review of the day and preview of tomorrow.  Quick shower and down to the bar to meet up and have a beer with Howza to celebrate, not only, his highest first class score, but also the highest score by a New Zealander at the SCG.

And what a treat it is to play there.  The ground has changed a lot since I started watching cricket on telly as a kid.  It's now, almost, just another 'concrete jungle.'  What saves it from that title it is the Members and Ladies Stands that just look like cricket. Just a wonderful backdrop on a ground that has a whole heap of history.  A really special place to be playing.  A ground I have looked forward to playing on for so long.  A massive piece of real estate that takes some running around; it's huge!

Were thinking about heading out for a Thai tonight with a couple others, time ran away from us with some chat and banter in the bar and all of a sudden it's 8pm and nobodies keen for a 15 minute walk to the restaurant.  So, for me, a quick walk out to find some food, sushi it was to be.  And not to bad either.

I now sit here, it's 9pm and I'm going to head off to bed.  It's going to be a tough day on the park tomorrow and I want to make sure my name is up there as one of the performers of the day.