Well if you wanted the perfect start to the international cricketing summer in Aotearoa, you got it. Hagley Oval basking in sunshine and love from the punters of Christchurch who were not only treated to some international cricket, but they were treated to a special performance from our skipper.

Brendon McCullum finished 195 off 134 balls, while Kane Williamson (54) and Jimmy Neesham (85) also pitched in the half centuries giving the Black Caps the perfect day 1 in test match cricket. The beauty of the innings from B-Mac was the speed at which he scored his runs, which is a bit of an understatement - he smoked it to all parts with 18 four's and 11 maximum's. That moves the game along quickly and gives the Black Caps a big advantage as they ended day 1 with a near-full belly. Usually that comes halfway through day 2, so the Black Caps are ahead of their game.

I don't know what's left to be said about skipper B-Mac. If he wants to hit it for 6, he shall. The Australians currently have a captain who they trust, who they rely on and who they can enjoy. So do we, and then some.

It's obviously pleasing to see Neesham back in some form and he's justifying his selection as the all rounder. Williamson will be much more disappointed as he couldn't kick on, but the hard work of Williamson who came in and kept the score board ticking over as well as the hard work by the openers to see out the new ball, laid the foundation for B-Mac.

The openers - Tom Latham and Hamish Rutherford weren't amazing but they soaked up a fair amount of deliveries which is the minimum that we ask for. Just on Rutherford, the guy has a long way to go as a test match opener. He'll get runs every so often as his slashing and dashing outside the off stump will definitely work every so often, but it's a risky game that.

This sets up a very interesting innings for the Black Cap bowlers. You could come to the conclusion that the pitch is flat and hard work for the bowlers, but we've got some handy bowlers. I'd expect B-Mac to declare at around 500 if he can, otherwise they're bowled out and it's all good - our turn.

I wouldn't want to sleep on the Sri Lankans either. There's every possibility that they fold under the immense skill of Timmo and Trent ... and Wagnut, but the flip-side of B-Mac's knock is that there is plenty of time for the Sri Lankan batsmen to put runs on the board.