No one is suggesting survival on a wicket which resembled the surface of the Apollo XI moon landing is easy, but the Black Caps batsmen are paid to occupy the crease for a living. Related Content Cricket: Black Caps struggling to avoid 3-0 sweep Cricket: Black Caps crumble in Ashwin's hands (and fingers) Video Andrew Alderson: India sweep Black Caps 3-0Trent Boult's bowling footmarks, alongside the illegal pitch scratchings which saw Ravindra Jadeja fined, proved the perfect accomplice to Ravi Ashwin's appetite for destruction. He took seven wickets for 59 in the second innings to give him figures of 13-140 for the match. The fall of New Zealand wickets two through to five has morphed from a problem into a stigma. They forced the Black Caps to exert themselves in balmy heat with the sole consolation being relatively less humidity.

Source: New Zealand Herald October 11, 2016 06:28 UTC