By Mark Richardson New Zealand Test batsman

Test Match Cricket is a challenge with the best cricketers from one country pitting themselves against the best from another.

It is played in the public eye and places all sorts of pressures upon you - but it is also an environment you want nothing more than to be part of.

Sami is one of the most exciting young players in Test cricket

The first Test against Pakistan is the start of our home summer of international cricket and as the feelings of excitement and apprehension are all too familiar.

I thrive on performance anxiety and the fear of failure but this time I'm also dealing with the fear of physical harm.

Most teams in international cricket have bowlers who bowl around 80-90mph and although this is fast, it is a pace you learn to manage over time.

Pakistan have two bowlers who bowl 90-100mph, on paper not a big difference, but in reality the extra 10mph makes a world of difference.

Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami are a fearsome duo. Both are capable of destroying a batting line-up in the space of a few overs.

It was our good luck then, that Shoaib had to sit out the game in Hamilton because of injury.

We have two Tests against Pakistan before the South Africans arrive for three Tests later in the summer.

The latter is being touted as the big series, but in my opinion Pakistan present a bigger challenge.

Yours truly hopes to avoid too much ducking and diving

They have been through a time of transition, great players like Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram have come and gone, but younger players have now been blooded and are beginning to find stability - a state that breeds success.

The media have really been pushing the whole Akhtar/Sami v myself angle and I must admit I've been playing along.

A more subtle threat comes from Shabbir Ahmed and leg-spinner Danish Kaneria.

Playing for Auckland in the warm-up game I was picking up runs at a steady pace - while trying not to get hit by Shoaib and Sami - but when Shabbir and Kaneria came on the runs dried up leading to my dismissal.

If these two bowl well, I believe making a decent total is going to be very difficult indeed.

On our side we have once again lost Shane Bond to injury but have begun to accept life without our fastest bowler.

Daryl Tuffey is our major weapon at home and will be eager to get to work on our, at times, bowler-friendly wickets, especially after an extended time on the sub-continent.

As much as I hate to admit it if we are going to win this series we need our seaming, fresh surfaces.