More wet weather is arriving ahead of the Hamilton one-day international, and it is leaving the pitch harder to read. New Zealand has endured an unusually damp start to November, and those conditions appear to be the main reason the surfaces for this ODI series have behaved unpredictably so far.

For teams weighing their options, that uncertainty matters a great deal. A pitch that can change from one day to the next makes it harder to settle on the right balance of players and to decide whether to bat or bowl first. It also raises a wider question about how much the weather can shape a contest before a ball is bowled, and whether venues can deliver consistent conditions when the skies refuse to cooperate.

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