Hamilton Test could define our season: BJ Watling

Hamilton [New Zealand], Mar.22 (ANI): New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman BJ Watling has insisted that his side will not dwell on their second Test defeat to South Africa and instead look forward to perform at their menacing best in the last match of the series as it could define their season. The Kane Williamson-led side went down 0-1 in the three-match series after suffering a comprehensive eight-wicket defeat against the Proteas in the match at the Basin Reserve which ended inside three days. New Zealand will now head to their final fixture of a summer that began nine months ago in August. "It's not a calamity. There's a lot of talk about the collapse and these things happen and we are obviously very disappointed but we're not going to dwell on that. This is a very important game coming up for us. I don't think we will judge our season on that last game. But we might on this one," ESPNcricinfo quoted Watling as saying. The 31-year-old, however, admitted that his side were not as disciplined as they could have been in the second Test, adding that they need to look for better combinations heading into the final match. Black Caps were reduced to 139 for 5 at tea on Day Three of the second Test before losing five wickets for mere 16 runs in less than six overs to set South Africa a lowly target of 81 runs to win. "It was a pretty good wicket to bat on against spin and we were probably not quite as disciplined as we would like to be. We've got to take better options and make better decisions than what we did in that last innings," he added. Watling has been one of the key players in counter-attacking throughout the series. He notched up half-century in Dunedin which came alongside skipper Kane Williamson, with whom he also stitched an 84-run stand to put his side a position to take a first-innings lead. Watling also spent almost three hours at the crease in scoring 34 in the first innings in Wellington, off 132 balls besides also sharing the biggest partnership of that innings, 116 with Henry Nicholls. In the second innings of the same match, the wicketkeeper-batsman shared a 65-run stand with Jeet Raval for the sixth-wicket. Watling will aim to continue his good form when the two sides will lock horns in the series-deciding last Test beginning on March 25 at Seddon Park.(ANI)