You could say that former Indian coach John Wright and New Zealand opening batsman would have been proud of Tim McIntosh with his batting style at Galle international yesterday.

It was the 29-year-old Auckland left-hander who laid the foundation stone of the innings with a solid and determined innings of 69. You could also say that he emulated at times the famed stoicism of the rugged Kiwi as well in his innings.

McIntosh admitted that he did talk to Wright, now with the New Zealand Academy and A Team, about what to expect in Sri Lanka and of course the bowing of Muttiah Muralitharan. It was his typically dogged half-century mixed with some free-flowing stroke equally stylish batting, that included a straight-drive for six off Ajantha Mendis that explained that he was quite aware of his role with the side.

It was where he took on the bowler, showing he was not worried about his threat, explained how he understood the Sri Lankan strategy.

As McIntosh explained, the low, slow nature of the pitch didn’t help the Sri Lanka spinners at all and he ‘Sure I am disappointed I didn’t go on and get a bigger score,’ he said. ‘It would have been nice to get a (three-figure) innings.’

It is the first time that McIntosh, playing only his sixth Test, has played outside New Zealand, making his debut against the West Indies only nine months ago. And if his hesitancy showed at times, to suggest he is a frustrating batsman is denying his ability the role he has to play at the top order.

Yet the low bounce surprised him and although Muttiah Muralitharan managed to get some turn, it was slow while Ajantha Mendis, who spooked the Indian batsmen a year ago, is not finding the ‘magic balls’ that haunted the neighbours north of Palk Straight.

‘It was all quite a challenge to play these bowlers for the first time and meant I needed to be more watchful of what the ball as doing off the pitch. Mendis bowls at a good pace, but the longer I stayed out there, the more I became used to the type of balls he was bowling,’ he commented.

‘It was important also to get involved in partnerships and that was always in the back of my mind,’ he added. ‘They weren’t big partnerships but they did the job early on and that is so important when you are chasing a target as well as trying to put a total on the board the takes you pass the follow-on total.’

It was largely the McIntosh innings of 69 in more than five hours that answered the call of his captain, Daniel Vettori for some batting backbone in the first Test against as the first target of avoiding the follow on looked more a reality than a myth at lunch.

And so it came to pass, despite the help Sri Lanka had from Daryl Harper with an appalling blunder against Jacob Oram who had recovered from the illness that kept out of the bowling attack on Wednesday.

Collecting a few body blows and getting some attention from the team’s physio, the South African-born blonde Kate Stalker more than once, McIntosh guided New Zealand’s Black Caps, the euphemism Kiwis have given their cricket side through the stormy waters of the twin threat of spin and pace. If at lunch he had an undefeated 53 next to his name as the sun broke through a glowering cloud cover, Sri Lanka’s middle-order hero Thilan Samaraweera also took his time about his innings of 159 in the 452 score.

When the 29-year-old left-hander departed at 188, the general bulwark of his team’s response as he batted with the forward defensive approach needed to set up the sort of reply the Kiwis wanted to the taunts of some locals expecting the Kiwis to be following on late afternoon. From the way he batted at times, he may have found mental sustenance, or should that rather be inspiration from looking at the implacable old Galle Fort wall.

From the outset, he knew his role was one of defence to stabilise the top order after the departure Wednesday evening of Martin Guptill and Daniel Flynn, both falling to strokes they would rather forget.