That would explain why the West Indies yesterday persisted with a line and length which proved ruinous.
Black Caps captain Brendon McCullum (109 not out) and top-order batsman Ross Taylor (103 not out) exacted a heavy toll on what was best described as some fairly generous bowling from the touring side.
The pair posted undefeated centuries and added 182 for the fourth wicket to help the home side reach 367 for three at stumps on day one of the first test at the University Oval in Dunedin.
Taylor and McCullum are eight runs shy of setting a record for the New Zealand fourth-wicket partnership against the West Indies, currently held by Nathan Astle and Matthew Sinclair.
And more runs are definitely the plan, said Taylor, who now has nine test hundreds to his name. McCullum has seven.
He said a team score of 500 to 550 would be a good result.
''I think it is a pretty good wicket and a pretty flat wicket and I think we'll need a very good total to obviously give our bowlers something to bowl at, but also so we can set attacking fields for long periods of time.
''Any time you're inserted and you score 360-odd - it is a pretty good day.''
Taylor was diplomatic about the West Indies' efforts but suggested the bowlers would be looking to lift their performance.
''When you have a day like that, you regroup and I'm sure they will bowl in even better areas and lengths [today].''
West Indies spearhead Tino Best bustled in and tried hard. Late in the day, McCullum popped up a catch which Best did his utmost to chase down. It eluded him and he threw the ball into the ground in frustration. It summed up his day, really.
Spinner Shane Shillingford took some tap in the afternoon session but was otherwise quite frugal.
But pace bowler Shannon Gabriel was just dreadful. He is no Jack Hunter, the Taieri bowler who dismissed McCullum in club game on Saturday. He has figures of none for 98 from 17 overs. Enough said.
Captain Darren Sammy had moments, but collectively the bowling unit looked like it had only been in the country three or four days. Funny that, because most of the squad arrived in the weekend.
While McCullum and Taylor flayed the attack during the third session, it was openers Hamish Rutherford (62) and Peter Fulton (61) who set up the platform with a fine 95-run stand.
''It makes my job a lot easier,'' Taylor said.
''I think they have been one of the most successful opening partnerships. Quite often when you have an opening partnership it is not about scoring runs, it is the confidence that they install in the other batsmen and I think, with their partnership, they are starting to build.''
The statistics shed even more light. Of the New Zealand opening combinations which have played more than 10 innings together, Fulton and Rutherford are actually the third-most successful, averaging 45 runs with five stands over 50, including a century stand.
Surprisingly, it is Trevor Franklin and John Wright who are the top-performing pair, averaging 55.10 in 28 innings together. Glenn Turner and Graham Dowling hold on to second spot with an average opening stand of 45.76 in 14 innings.
The only New Zealand batsman to miss out yesterday was Aaron Redmond, who actually looked as good as anyone, getting through to 20 before he was squared up by Tino Best and edged it to Marlon Samuels at gully.
