Cricket: Black Caps sliding from bad to worse

New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming isn't quite pushing the panic button, but his hand is hovering nearby as he bemoans familiar problems in yet another loss.

Having just given up the test series 3-0 to England, the tourists limped away to Chelmsford for today's match against Essex smarting from a four-wicket defeat in a one-day game to lowly county side Derbyshire yesterday.

Without injured spinner Daniel Vettori, who is battling to be fit for the side's opening tri-series match against England next Thursday, Fleming again felt helpless, despite his 102 leading them to an average score of 258 for seven from 50 overs.

"You do need variation through the middle, and take wickets through the middle, otherwise teams score 250-300 quite regularly," Fleming said after watching Derbyshire score 259 for six to win with eight balls to spare.

"Going into the tri-series, one of my concerns is the ability to take wickets . . . That's the best way to hold a run rate."

New Zealand's bowling and fielding were patchy against one of county cricket's perennial battlers, who have won just two of their eight one-day matches this season.

Fast bowler Ian Butler was underdone and off the pace in his first match for two months, taking two for 62 off nine overs, including nine boundaries as Pakistani Hassan Adnan led the chase with 113 not out off as many balls.

After a dominant innings, Fleming was also an offender, dropping a sitter of a catch from Adnan at first slip before he had scored.

New Zealand's other bowlers kept the run rate in check, with James Franklin the pick with two for 38, but the wickets did not tumble often enough.

Under former Zimbabwe coach Dave Houghton, Derbyshire took 69 off the last 8.4 overs to win, despite being without their prolific Australian batsmen Michael di Venuto and Chris Rogers.

"Our bowling's still flat, it lacks penetration on flat wickets," Fleming said, through gritted teeth.

"That gave them a platform, I dropped a catch and he [Adnan] got a hundred, which doesn't help.

"I hate it ... You want to do well and get on the winning side.

"They're only little things. We're so close to having a good tour, but that's just enough to be getting hurt."

Star allrounder Chris Cairns will return today after being rested at Derby, and Vettori was back bowling in the nets on his injured hamstring. He was still hoping to return for Sunday's match against Northamptonshire to prove his fitness for the tri-series.

There were more positives from the batting, with Fleming on one of his hot run-scoring trots with 102 off 123 balls, with back-up from Scott Styris' 56 off 69.

Craig McMillan, in his first use of a new bat sponsor, an English brand named Smasher, scored some timely runs with 43 off 45 balls.

Nathan Astle looked scratchy when caught behind for two, but later took a brilliant diving outfield catch, and Hamish Marshall was run out for eight when he had to sacrifice himself after a mix-up with Fleming.

- NZPA