Flynn happy with maiden No. 3 outing

A smart call from Chris Gayle to review a not-out lbw verdict denied Daniel Flynn his first Test century, but the New Zealand batsman was pleased with his maiden effort at No. 3

"I thought I was going to kill two birds with one stone there today but obviously not," he said. "Getting runs on the board is what counts so to get through to 95. Obviously I'm disappointed not to kick on and get that hundred, but to make a contribution like that I'm very happy with."

Flynn said he was looking forward to cementing his place at one-drop, a new role for the batsman who has not been a No. 3 even at first-class level. "To fill that spot at No.3, [it's] a great opportunity given to me to try and make it my own.

"I've got to try and grab that opportunity," he told sportal.com.au. "It's a place that I would like to bat for New Zealand and I've been given that chance now so I've got to really make the most of it by putting the runs on the board."

Flynn said his approach was not too different compared to his innings lower down the order during his short Test career. "I didn't really change a lot," he said. "If anything, I probably got a few more scoring opportunities this morning with the new ball and the field settings which made it a bit easier to get a bit of momentum in my innings.

"There were a couple of periods there where I was battling, more so against myself. They bowled to their fields and scoring wasn't easy so I had to work hard through those periods. But that's what making runs at Test level is all about, getting through those hard patches."

Though dismissed for 95, Flynn will go down in history as the first New Zealander to be given out on the review system. Umpire Amiesh Saheba had turned down Gayle's lbw appeal, but overturned his decision after it was referred to the third umpire, Rudi Koertzen. "I thought I was okay until it started dragging out a bit and thought, obviously, 'I'm in a bit of trouble here'," he said. "I've had a look at the replay and obviously with the technology that's available, it is hard to argue with."

Gayle sympathised with Flynn. "You know, if I was the batsman, I'd be pretty disappointed. Flynn batted pretty well even though it was a good wicket to bat on. I thought he really assessed the conditions as quickly as possible. It is just unfortunate he missed out on a 100."

Flynn felt the contest was even-stevens after the first day. "I think maybe one less [wicket] would have been ideal, preferably mine. But I think it's a par day on that wicket," he said."We have got some really good players to come with Dan [Vettori] and Franky [James Franklin], and with Jesse and Baz [Brendon McCullum] there we're looking for 400-plus."