The Surfer

... England needed all their resolve to get through the final session of the day relatively unscathed. That they did so was down to Andrew Strauss, at his imperturbable best and probably feeling as though he owed the team some runs after his decision at the toss, and Jonathan Trott, promoted to No 3, who suggested that the confidence shown in him after only one Test match is not misplaced.

If cricketing and administrative pitfalls are tackled, implementation of techno-administrative plans tend to succeed. Kirsten did that well. Now he is focussing on individual needs.

Inevitably, the colour of Ntini’s skin has been a blessing and a curse. A blessing because he has been afforded the kind of international opportunities and patience that might — only might — not have come his way had he not been black; a curse because that knowledge has sometimes camouflaged his achievements as a cricketer, rather than as a black cricketer. It is time he was given his due.

Strauss, having earlier sturdily resisted the temptation, twice submitted to the passionate belief of some of his players that the video evidence would send such large obstacles to the success of his gamble to bowl at the South Africans – Kallis and A B De Villiers – back to the pavilion. Twice he went to the review – first when Kallis had edged a ball from Jimmy Anderson into his pads, one that was, anyway, plainly going wide, and then when wicketkeeper Matt Prior yelled that he had gathered up a De Villiers snick off Graeme Swann – and twice he lost.

The first choice alongside Chris Martin and Daryl Tuffey is Tim Southee. All three had their moments, but also their flat periods in a four-pronged, fast-medium attack in Napier ... The leading candidate appears to be Northern Districts' in-form Brent Arnel. He is 30 but if applying the principle of picking players at the top of their game then Arnel should be given his chance.

Put it this way: New Zealand won a thriller at Dunedin which could have gone either way; Pakistan walked the second at the Basin Reserve against a wretched batting display; and New Zealand had a clear edge in the decider but ran out of time on a pitch which, despite confident predictions that it would be perkier than usual for the bowlers, proved to be another examination of their spirit and perseverance. There wasn't much between the teams and that added to the intrigue. Some of the cricket was of pretty poor quality - from both teams.

That means picking Luke Wright. He can attack and could be our Adam Gilchrist-type figure at seven – a batsman who plays big shots when the bowlers are tired. But it sounds as though England will not go that way because they are worried about South Africa's record at Centurion, where they have only lost once in 14 Tests.