Partnerships key for NZ, says Sodhi

Ish Sodhi, the New Zealand legspinner, has said that the side would have to form partnerships and better their batting effort in the second innings to create the possibility of a win on the fifth day of the Trinidad Test against West Indies. New Zealand conceded a first-innings lead of 239 and finished the day trailing by 166, with the pair of Kane Williamson and Tom Latham sharing an unbeaten second-wicket stand of 64.

"Tommy and Kane are at the crease right now looking pretty poised, so hopefully we can continue that tomorrow," Sodhi said. "I think we just have to keep on sort of having our small targets, and partnerships are obviously going to be key, just like Kane and Tom. I think if we continue to do that we are going to be successful tomorrow and if we are successful tomorrow, we can think about winning on day five."

Sodhi was the most successful bowler for New Zealand with four wickets but he also gave away 96 runs in 19.1 overs. Apart from Trent Boult and Tim Southee, the rest of the New Zealand attack struggled, allowing West Indies to build on their lead from the second day. Sodhi credited West Indies, saying a changed approach had brought them results with the bat.

"It was a pretty flat wicket. You expect that on day two and three," he said. "It's a credit to the boys for toiling quite hard and I obviously got a few rewards, so it's good. But I think it comes down to how we bat in this innings to determine how we are poised in this Test match.

"You'd want to bowl them out for a 100. But they [West Indies] batted well. They had a different approach to what they had in the last game. They played a little more aggressively and it worked out for them in the end."