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Twelve-hour days have been the norm for Jade Stadium groundsman Chris Lewis and his staff recently.

They have been preparing the pitch for the second cricket test between New Zealand and South Africa which starts today.

It is the first test pitch Lewis has prepared and he is confident it will be a typical strip - ``bouncy and pacy''.

``There's nothing more we can do,'' said Lewis. ``I would have liked about 22deg today just to bake it a little bit and to get rid of the few green tinges. They have come from the covers being on it.''

Lewis, in his second year in charge of the ground, said he did not lie awake at night worrying about the pitch.

``Sometimes if we've had a bad week with the weather and we've still got a lot of work to do I get a bit concerned.

``But if I wake up early I get up and get down here. I've been here at 4am. It makes for a long day but you have to put in the hard work.''

Lewis keeps in touch with weather forecasters in the lead-up to the test and on overcast days keeps a wary eye on the clouds.

``We have six covers on the ground so if there is a leak on the big one (which extends over the wicket whole block) there are others underneath to protect the wicket.''

The ground has recovered superbly from the Super 12 match .

``You wouldn't know there was a rugby game 10 days ago,'' said Lewis, rubbing his palm across the thick turf cover around the 22m area at the north end of the ground.

Within hours of the test finishing the hundreds of hours of pitch preparation will be forgotten.

Goalposts will be erected and the pitch doused with water to soften it for a Crusaders training session next Wednesday night.