It is only grass but University Oval groundsman Tom Tamati takes it very seriously.
He has to because the players, coaches and media never stop talking about it.
Last year the pitch came in for some criticism when a four-day match between Otago and Auckland concluded inside two days.
With the Black Caps-Bangladesh test just around the corner, doubts were raised about the suitability of the venue.
Auckland coach Mark O'Donnell inflamed the situation by suggesting the pitch was dangerous and someone could get hurt.
New Zealand won that test by nine wickets inside three days.
This year's rehearsal for the Black Caps-West Indies test in December has gone much better.
Otago and Northern Districts drew the fixture which wound up yesterday.
The match went the distance and no-one got hurt.
But there were still some grumbles.
Northern Districts coach Andy Moles described the wicket was "low and slow" and a difficult surface on which to get a result.
"I feel a bit sorry for him [Tamati], really, because looking at the outfield and the practice wickets, they are much better than they have been in the past.
"I'm sure he learnt a lot from this pitch but for the test wicket he'll have to get a bit more pace and bounce in it to get a good game."
Tamati was reasonably pleased with the pitch but said he was always going to err on the side of caution and prepare a flat track after what happened last year.
"It probably turned out a bit too flat," Tamati said.
"That is the hardest we've ever had a wicket, which meant the moisture was always going to be low.
But I can even that up.
"We're stuck between a rock and a hard place, really.
We can either have a wicket that is fresh on day one and is going to zoom around . . . or you can have a wicket that is flat [and lifeless]."
Either way, not everyone would happy, he said.
Tamati starts preparations for a test about 12 days before the match.
He floods the pitch to get the moisture content up then begins the process of rolling the wicket and manicuring the grass.
Core samples are taken to measure the moisture content and density.
From that information Tamati gets a good indication of how it will play.
But it is not an exact science and it is difficult to determine how a wicket will play until the game gets under way.
