With all the hype around the start of tonight's day/night Test match between the Black Caps and England in Auckland, it's business as usual for Eden Park's ground staff.
Having not hosted a Test match since 2014, today's clash is a welcome return to the longest format of the game at Eden Park, with groundsman Blair Christensen insisting that the slight change in format won't have too much of an impact on the pitch.
New Zealand and England will have a pink Kookaburra ball at their disposal starting tonight.
"I don't think we'll be straying from anything we do normally," he said.
“Some of the Test wickets that we’ve had in the past – both India (2014) and England (2013) – were pretty good pitches. We just want to try and repeat that.”
"We haven't changed a lot."
Christensen also said that his team were ready for this match, having had a warm-up clash in 2017.
"We had a trial Plunkett Shield pink ball match, we took some learnings from that.
"But, I don't think we’ll be straying from anything we do normally."
The last two Test matches at Eden Park have been thrillers for the Black Caps, with 2013's England clash seeing the tourists spectacularly block out the last day to save a series draw.
The 2014 Test against India saw New Zealand claim a 40-run victory, with captain Brendon McCullum belting a first-innings double century, before a four-wicket haul from Neil Wagner ended the visitors' hopes of a win on the fourth and final day.
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