Day 4 at Bulawayo

Best day of the test so far, as the game was poised to go in either direction at the start, and all three results are possible on the final day.

305 with 8 wickets left looks a tall order for the Zimbos, though if the pitch doesn't break up they have a couple of things in their favour; Taylor, Waller and Taibu seem to have the measure of NZ, and Vettori and Patel at the very least can be seen off if not blasted out of sight.

Perseverance is the key for NZ, as Doug Bracewell showed yesterday. Vettori is in the familiar position of having to do most of the work, and the pacers need to chip in as much as possible. The ball kept low on occasion last night, so a wearing pitch might bring them into play. The biggest 'if' is Jeetan Patel, who has had a terrible time of it in tests lately and desperately needs to chip in with a few, since he is unlikely to do a containing job.

Nevertheless it was great to see a well-time declaration from Rossco, making me wonder if Vettori would have done the same. Kyle Jarvis bowled exceptionally well yesterday,and with the rest of the batting looking jittery the century partnership from Williamson and Taylor was a great one in context. Reece Young played a valuable knock at the end, an encouraging performance since McCullum's switch to batting has left the lower-order looking a bit bare.

Personally I've been most pleased with Kane Williamson's performance this test. We were three down for bugger-all yesterday with Taylor looking shaky at the start; the way he took control of the situation, seeing off some good bowling and keeping the score moving was a lesson to the others. Not often you see a 21-year old kiwi play this intelligently and responsibly - Vettori is the last name which comes to mind.