Tbh, I just think the team is starting to get a bit old. Wagner and CdG losing pace, KW struggling with injuries, Boult spending more and more time out of the team to balance work and family life, Taylor and BJ retiring etc etc. We'd hoped that KJ, Conway, Blundell and Mitchell would patch things over for a few years, and I think they will to a certain extent. But when you look at the team-sheet now and compare it to the one from last June, it's pretty clear that our expectations will need to be a bit more measured in the future.
Did anyone seriously expect NZ to pick a spinner after this attack kept SA to 205/20 last week? At the end of the day, the only grounds in NZ that I'd consider playing a spinner are Bay Oval and the Tron. The reality is, SA batted bloody well on the morning of day 1, NZ dropped vital chances in the afternoon, and as a result they ended up posting a first innings effort that was 50-100 above par. NZ's top order then pooed themselves and SA have done enough since to more or less wrap up the match. Sometimes you've gotta accept that the opposition played well and NZ played poorly.