Glenn Phillips’ first thoughts were how pleased he was with the size of the boundaries at Galle.
That is a sign the 27-year-old Otago all-rounder is starting to think more like an offspinner who bats in the middle order than a hard-hitting player who bowls a bit.
The athletic right-hander began his career as a wicketkeeper-batter but reinvented himself as a spinner who can bat in the top six if required.
And in seven tests he had picked up 17 wickets at an average of 17.47.
That is a lot better than useful — it is darn right excellent.
But that fine record will come under pressure this week.
He is expected to be in the starting XI when the Black Caps take the field this afternoon (NZ time) for the first of two tests against Sri Lanka.
Next up is India. The Black Caps have got three tests there.
The spinners are going to be pulling some very long shifts during the next couple of months.
"It’s fabulous," Phillips responded when asked about the venue.
"Nice big boundaries, which is really nice from a spin perspective.
"The pitch is looking really good at the moment, so we’ll see how it ends up playing."
The Black Caps have enlisted the help of former Sri Lankan tweaker Rangana Herath to help answer that question.
The 46-year-old snaffled 433 test wickets in 93 matches between 1999 and 2018.
Galle is one of his favourite venues.
He was with the team in India for their one-off test against Afghanistan as well. That match was abandoned without a ball bowled.
The Black Caps have plenty of spin options in the touring party of 15.
Left-armers Ajaz Patel and Mitchell Santner teamed up with Will Somerville the last time New Zealand played Sri Lanka in Galle.
Somerville has since retired, but Patel and Santner are perhaps poised to play together again.
Top order batter Rachin Ravindra is a left arm orthodox bowler as well, so the Black Caps could have three lefties in the lineup.
Phillips will turn the ball away from the four left-handers in the Sri Lankan squad, and Michael Bracewell is also a former wicketkeeper who turned to spinning.
He lost his spot to Phillips while he was on an injury break. But the Wellington all-rounder is another player the Black Caps can lean on if he is selected.
Herath has plenty of talent to work with.
"In terms of the spin bowling unit ... what I see from them is they have an understanding of their roles as well as a kind of [understanding] on what needs to be done on the surface."
Herath took 102 wickets in 19 tests at Galle, so he is very familiar with the surface and having him in the Black Caps corner is a big asset for the visitors.
His big tip?
"We need to stick to the basics ... and that is what we’ve discussed the last few days."
Traditionally the pitch has even pace and bounce in the first few days, but the longer it bakes under the sun the more assistance it offers the spinners.
Phillips is ready for that.
"Being able to contribute in both halves of the game is really important to me ... so I’m really looking forward to getting out there with both ball and bat."
The series counts towards the World Test Championships and the Blacks Caps are still in contention to make the final.
"Coming over to Sri Lanka is definitely going to be a really tough place to win. But we’ve got the skill set and the [players] to be able to do it."
First test
Galle, 4pm (NZ time)
New Zealand: Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Tim Southee (captain), Ajaz Patel, William O’Rourke, Michael Bracewell, Will Young, Ben Sears.
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva (captain), Kamindu Mendis, Milan Rathnayake, Prabath Jayasuriya, Vishwa Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Jeffrey Vandersay, Ramesh Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Oshada Fernando.
