12.30pm
New Zealand cricket captain Stephen Fleming sees the tri-series descending into a farce as he blamed the early morning starts for ruining their matches against Australia.
Fleming was unimpressed with tournament organisers after New Zealand's two-wicket loss off the penultimate ball of the match at Nehru Stadium yesterday saw them anchored
at the foot of the points table after three winless matches.
Andrew Symonds hit the winning runs to be 37 not out off 40 balls as Australia staggered to their target of 259 after Jacob Oram's career-best 81 off 87 balls boosted New Zealand's total.
While New Zealand went the full distance and cost themselves an upset win by three dropped catches late in the match, Fleming was angry at having to bat again in early morning dew at 9am after losing the toss.
"They've got it wrong, you can't start this early with wickets like this, there's no point," Fleming said after his side's fifth straight loss to Australia.
"We've been on the wrong side of it twice and it makes the next game a lottery too.
"We can complain but it falls on deaf ears because India aren't playing.
"There's two competitions going on -- one for us and Australia where it seams around and is tough to bat and India play another one where it gets lower and slower then turns. I wonder who did that itinerary."
All India's six matches in the TVS Cup are day-nighters, with the next one in the eastern city of Cuttack on Thursday a must-win for the deflated tourists.
New Zealand then revert to an 8.30am start for their following match against Australia on Sunday in the northern city of Guwahati where there is an early dusk.
"So much rides on the toss. At least in New Zealand it seams for 100 overs, here it seams for 25 and after that it's a belter.
"I've talked to Ricky Ponting and he's not happy either because we know how crucial the toss is."
Ponting agreed the conditions were playing too big a part after he sent New Zealand in to bat and watched his paceman Brad Williams take the first four wickets on the way to a career-best five for 53.
"They're trying to better their wickets for the standard of their own cricket but they've just left too much juice in them for one-day cricket," Ponting said.
"When you're starting at that time of the morning it's bound to swing, and the wickets have had life in them which is tough for the side batting first."
- NZPA
