Tuffey and Adams look to make impact if selected for final Test

New Zealand medium-fast bowler Daryl Tuffey can say he has been there and done that when talking about tying up a Test series but it is a different story for prospective debut Test player Andre Adams as they prepare for the final National Bank Series Test with England.

Both are expected to play in the Eden Park match on the second drop-in pitch of the series but a final decision is not expected until match day on Saturday.

Tuffey can recall last summer when he and Chris Martin made the most of conditions to rock Pakistan and inflict a record defeat on them in Hamilton last summer.

Tuffey said his almost constant diet of one-day cricket this year meant that he had lacked a good long bowl to get back into the longer form of the game, but he felt Northern Districts' most recent game with Canterbury, which ended yesterday in Christchurch had provided him with the chance to get overs under his belt.

"The ball was coming out well and hopefully that is quite timely really for this last Test.

"I probably haven't had the results go my way over the last couple of months in the four-dayers. It was good to get back in there and get a bag. It was good to get some bowling, I'd been bowling only 10 overs since Christmas," he said.

"I'm optimistic about the things we can do, especially in this last Test. Coming back last year and squaring it with Pakistan felt like a series victory in itself. And we need to win this Test after the hard work we did at the start of the summer to try and square it," he said.

Tuffey said he was thankful he had been able to stay relatively injury free with his only concern being a hamstring injury in Australia earlier in the summer and that had cleared up now.

His rhythm was good and the ball had come out of his hand well in Christchurch and he also managed to get some swing back again which had been beneficial in securing seven wickets in an innings.

Meanwhile, newcomer Adams comes into the game relieved to have escaped a suspension after being cited by the umpires under the Code of Conduct in Auckland's match against Wellington which finished yesterday.

He realised very quickly after the incident had occurred that he had made a mistake and he apologised to the umpires. That had been taken into account in his hearing.

He was delighted to have the chance to achieve every cricketer's goal of playing Test cricket. He said that it was he who told the selectors he had a slight shoulder injury last Test when he was included among the "not considered due to injury" list. He had been prepared to bowl if selected but the decision of the selectors was for him not to be included.

With his batting ability he extended the length of the New Zealand batting but while his natural approach was to attack, he did say he would not be charging down the wicket "pumping it" like Nathan Astle had in the first Test.

He had expected that if he was to make a Test debut it could be in Pakistan, but it was nice to be called up for his home ground, if selected in the final XI.