Day 1 at Antigua: Guptill 1-1 Narine

A century against a team they take seriosuly...someday!

-- A pretty good day for New Zealand. 232 for 4 is an excellent start considering we didn't reach 200 in either innings of the warm-up game. I don't agree, however, with Ross Taylor's suggestion that NZ are on top. The set batsmen are all gone, and there's a new ball as well as a confident Narine to contend with.

-- The pitch so far has hardly been the minefield that we were apprehensive about (McCullum earlier described it as being 'full of ridges'). It looks like it will play as a good challenging test wicket, offering more turn and bounce as the game goes on. In that sense, it was probably a good toss to win. A lot now depends on how Narine and Vettori fare with the ball.

-- You really hope Martin Guptill puts his dismissal on 97 behind him and looks at the positives. Disappointing it may have been to miss out on a century, but he has provided the team with an invaluable foundation, and should take this as a sign that he is capable of cracking it at the test level. It's up to the remaining batsmen now to make his innings count.

-- I disagree with the rule that the fielding side must not lose a review when the DRS reveals a no-ball to have been  bowled. This was applied in the second session when the Windies reviewed a not-out decision off Kemar Roach. My view is, the moment you call for a review you are leaving it to a legal basis for giving a decision either way, which should include the possibility of a no-ball. I don't see why a no-ball should cancel everything after the review has been called for.

-- I'm a big fan of Darren Sammy, but I can see why people continue to wonder about his place in the XI. In these conditions it must have been really tempting to play the second spinner in Shane Shillingford, which would have been a more difficult proposition for NZ. However, with Sammy and two new-ball bowlers taking up three spots, there was room for just one slow bowler in Narine. Perhaps West Indies' best bet in the future would be for Andre Russell (if his batting develops well enough) to play as a fast-bowling allrounder, thus freeing up one bowling slot.

-- Not really sure what to expect from NZ on day two. They could easily undo all the good work and be rolled over for less than 300, or pile up 400-plus if the likes of Vettori and van Wyk get stuck in. 350, in my view, should be their immediate target if they are to stay in the game.