Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor is expecting no surprises from the McLean Park pitch for the Test match against New Zealand starting on Thursday.
Taylor has been plying his trade with the Wellington team in the domestic HRV Cup Twenty20 competition and has been asking plenty of questions about what McLean Park will throw up.
He had learned it would be a good pitch which might have more bounce than most, especially with the grass that had been left on it by the groundsman.
There was no doubt it would have more bounce than the flat pitch on which the sides last met in Bulawayo in October, a match it took New Zealand into the last session of the game to claim the win.
New Zealand will be wary of one significantly different player in the Zimbabwe line-up from that they met in Africa. Left-arm fast bowler Brian Vitori was injured during New Zealand's tour but had a developing reputation as a result of five-wicket bags in One-Day Internationals against Pakistan and Bangladesh while New Zealand captain Ross Taylor had been impressed with what he had seen during the warm-up game for the NZ XI in Gisborne.
His captain said Vitori was a 'young, raw cricketer'.
"He basically burst on the scene five or six months ago. He probably wasn't even playing first class cricket then so he's just a real talent, and a find for us.
"He's got a bit of pace about him, he swings the ball nicely and he's an exciting prospect for us," he said.
There was no doubt the Test was going to be a tough prospect for the Zimbabweans, but it was a challenge the side was looking forward to, he said.
"New Zealand have had a successful few months, obviously against Australia, so they'll be riding high on some sort of momentum so at the same time it is Test cricket and we realise it is going to be tough.
"We're here to enjoy ourselves and to go out an express ourselves by playing the cricket we know we can play," he said.
Bolstering the side's comeback to international play is the experience being offered by former Test stars from Zimbabwe, fast bowler Heath Streak and batsman Grant Flower. They had what Taylor described as a 'massive' role with the side and were working with ensuring the players were doing the right things and getting the best out of themselves.
Taylor has been a fan of the conditions he has played in New Zealand during his Wellington stint. He said the word back in Zimbabwe was that the wickets did a bit in New Zealand but he hadn't played on a bad wicket the whole time he had been in the country.
"But tomorrow could be interesting," he said.
"The experience with the Firebirds [Wellington] certainly helped me a hell of a lot and eased a few of the nerves."
Looking at prospective weaknesses in the New Zealand side, he felt the choice of Dan Vettori batting at No.6 was possibly one area.
At the same time he acknowledged how well Vettori could bat and the Zimbabwe bowlers would have to put the ball in the right areas because of the strength of the New Zealand top six.
His side had taken confidence from their effort against New Zealand in Bulawayo and had only lost it in the final session.
"We know we are on the right track if we can bat 130-140 overs which we have been doing in the last three Test matches and take it deep into the fifth day or at least take it into the fifth day we are heading in the right direction," he said.