Hagley Oval will host the first Test gainst Englnd. Photo: Photosport
Cricket pitch preparation comes down to several factors - some of which can not be manipulated at will and are dictated by the local soil and weather conditions.
Black Caps coach Gary Stead does not expect New Zealand wickets to perform in the same way the surfaces did in India, and does not want them to.
Spinner Ajaz Patel had notably more success away from New Zealand than he had in home conditions. He could struggle to even be selected when the Black Caps played Test matches in Aotearoa in conditions which favoured a pace bowling attack.
After picking up a five-wicket bag to help the Black Caps to a third Test victory against India in Mumbai, Patel would have a better chance of playing for his domestic side Central Districts this summer than against England in three Tests in Christchurch, Wellington and Hamilton.
But Patel was hopeful change was coming.
"A lot of it comes down to weather but also some of it comes down to preparation of the surfaces and stuff like that and I think going forward we may see spin becoming a little bit more of an option within New Zealand, hopefully.
"Quality spin bowling gives you some kind of uniqueness within the attack and it gives you a point of difference from a spin perspective I'm not going to say you don't need a spinner.
"For me personally I'd always love to be playing in every game that's possible and it's certainly an aspiration of mine to play more cricket for New Zealand and it's just a wait and see in how that opportunity arises."
Ajaz Patel fielding during the test series against Sri Lanka, 2024. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The Plunket Shield - the domestic cricket four-day competition - has shifted in the schedule with the first round to be played next week and the final round at the end of March. Two white ball competitions were also played over the summer.
Patel saw this move as beneficial for developing New Zealand's depth of spinning talent.
"Whether that changes the conditions of the wickets and spinners become more effective within the competition it's just a wait and see.
"Taking the competition a little bit deeper into our summer may actually help the spinners get more involved in the game...I hope it does pan out that way and we can see spin bowlers really growing their craft and bowling lots more overs in the Plunket Shield especially in those first few games."
Stead said it was known that around New Zealand some pitches would spin more than others and he would select a team accordingly.
"But I don't always believe the characteristics of New Zealand wickets allow it to do anything like what you might see [in India] where you get the heat and different clays it's very difficult to replicate which I think makes the success [in India] even more special for our team as well."
The difference in conditions around the world was part of what made cricket tours special in Stead's view.
"Even in the subcontinent you go to India, to Sri Lanka to Pakistan and the pitches all behave slightly differently so that's that area of adaptation we talk about as a team in learning the different lines and different lengths you need to bowl but equally as a batsman the different techniques or the different ways you go about your game... that makes touring these parts of the world so unique as well and so very very different to what we face in New Zealand."
The England Test series starts on 28 November.
