Hamilton: New Zealand's breakthrough win in the second cricket test against the West Indies has given it a taste for victory which it hopes to experience again in the third test that starts at Hamilton on Thursday.
The win at Wellington's Basin Reserve, by an innings and 83 runs, was New Zealand's first in more than a year and its first in 11 test matches under the joint stewardship of coach Mike Hesson and captain Brendon McCullum.
New Zealand holds a 1-0 lead in the three-test series and wicketkeeper B.J. Watling said "it's a great feeling to win test matches. We've got ourselves into positions to win two tests now and we've got to do it again here."
The West Indies' bid to tie the series has been confounded by the suspension of spinner Shane Shillingford for an illegal bowling action.
West Indies to try and save their three-match series after New Zealand won the second Test by an innings and 73 runs inside three days on Friday.
New Zealand's pace bowlers captured 16 wickets in 67.4 overs on last Friday, with Trent Boult taking a career-best 10 for 80, including one spell of five wickets in 15 balls in the first innings.
The home side bowled a fuller length on the Basin Reserve wicket that allowed the ball to swing and seam as well as force the West Indies batsmen to play shots at more deliveries, which the tourists' captain said they must learn from.
Sammy was disappointed that after he had won two tosses and immediately inserted New Zealand at University Oval and then the Basin Reserve his side had not managed to take advantage of bowler-friendly conditions.
Indeed, Sammy felt that his bowlers had the best of the bowling conditions in both games and had still allowed New Zealand to score 600 runs in their first innings in Dunedin and then 440 in Wellington.
With the match only lasting three days, both sides have two days to spare before they head to Hamilton for the third and final match that starts on December 19.
Teams from
New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (Captain), Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Peter Fulton, Aaron Redmond, Hamish Rutherford, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling (wk) and Kane Williamson.
West Indies: Darren Sammy (Captain), Kieran Powell, Kirk Edwards, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Kraigg Brathwaite, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel, Shane Shillingford, Tino Best, Veerasammy Permaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Chadwick Waltona and Sunil Narine
Match facts
December 19-23, 2013
Start time 10.30am local (2130 GMT previous day)