Cricket: Backlash looming but Kiwis prepared

Expect Australia to revert to their strongest line-up for tomorrow night's second one-day international against New Zealand.

Upset in the Chappell-Hadlee series opener at Melbourne on Sunday night, Australia's theory about resting or rotating key players is almost certain to be scrapped at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and also for the series finale at Brisbane on Friday.

Paceman Michael Kasprowicz, widely condemned for conceding 22 runs off the 48th over in the first match, has been released back to Queensland amid suggestions that Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie will be brought back into the fold.

Both were spelled for the first rubber of the three-match series, which New Zealand won by four wickets under the closed roof of the Telstra Dome.

But the wise money is on Australia picking their strongest possible team and trying to force a decider at the Gabba. New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum said he would be surprised if the hosts didn't roll out the heavy artillery for tomorrow's match, although he reckoned it was far from comfortable on Sunday.

"They've got McGrath and Gillespie up their sleeve, which will make things interesting, but you've got to acknowledge that the guys who did play on Sunday were no mugs," he said. "We had someone bowling at us at 156km/h.

"I guess there's been a slight momentum shift back towards us now, but we've got to make sure we keep improving across the board and that we're ready for them to come very hard at us in the second match.

"Because they will come hard. There's nothing more sure than that."

McCullum, one of New Zealand's most telling contributors at the Telstra Dome, combined with Hamish Marshall to snatch the result in the last over after adding 39 runs from 21 balls, including the windfall off Kasprowicz in the 48th over.

While Marshall won the man-of-the-match award for his composed and unbeaten half-century, McCullum closed the result off clinically, tying the scores with a signature shovel-shot for four off the first ball of the last over.

He said yesterday that after seven consecutive ODI losses against Australia, New Zealand desperately needed the change in fortune.

"It was a big thing for us on this tour. It's been a while since we had a win against them, and the Champions Trophy game [in September] was possibly testimony to the inferiority complex we had developed.

"But everyone regrouped after the tests; we talked about it, we knew we had a good ODI unit, and we came out and played confidently, which was important for us."

McCullum said one of the most pleasing aspects of the win was that some of the less senior players were highly influential.

Marshall, in particular, justified his selection, acquiring a handy strike-rate through hard running and good placement in his 52-ball half-century.

"It's definitely good for us," McCullum said of the unsung heroes. "We can have people throughout the order making match-winning contributions, as Hamish [Marshall] showed the other night.

"He was fantastic. He didn't hit many boundaries but he dragged us back into contention during a difficult period of the game."

While McCullum was sure the Australians would be tougher tomorrow evening, he said the flipside was that New Zealand were also better for the result on Sunday, and had been reminded about some important ODI lessons.

"We're pretty big believers in the theory that you've usually got more time than you think," he said.

"It's something that Chris Harris has always been big on - to not exaggerate the pressure, to be aware of the time remaining, and to realise that if you've got wickets up your sleeve, you can sustain a high strike-rate down the stretch."