Cricket: Bond, Ponting ready to resume rivalry

Shane Bond resumes his duel with Ricky Ponting in Napier tomorrow as home officials hope transtasman rivalry and Sunday's Twenty20 epic bring crowds flooding back to one-day cricket internationals.

New Zealand and Australia play their 17th Chappell-Hadlee Trophy one-dayer at McLean Park, with the overall ledger poised at 7-7, including two no-results.

A year ago in Australia, New Zealand led 2-0 after wins in Perth and Melbourne, then stumbled in Sydney and Adelaide before the Brisbane rain chopped down Martin Guptill in full flight as the tourists looked victory-bound.

But the last time a one-dayer was played at McLean Park, against Bangladesh last month, just a handful of spectators turned out while across the Tasman, Twenty20 crowds far outnumbered those for one-dayers against Pakistan and West Indies.

Home officials are hoping for a crowd of 10,000 after 5000 tickets were sold in the wake of New Zealand's Twenty20 win in an eliminator over in Christchurch after both sides slammed 214 before 26,000-plus fans.

Ponting arrived in Napier ahead of his teammates, having retired from Twenty20 internationals, and will again be their go-to man along with the in-form Michael Clarke.

Bond, with 35 wickets at an average of 14.45 against Australia, removed Ponting the first six times he bowled to him in one-dayers, but hasn't claimed his wicket in their past four matchups.

Fellow paceman Tim Southee, the eliminator over hero in Christchurch, admitted Bond's presence would spur New Zealand on as they try to reclaim the trophy in the five-match series.

"He's great to bowl with, he bowls fantastically against Australia. Everyone seems to lift against Australia and he's done that for a past few years. It just lifts the team and the bowling unit and he's great to learn off," Southee said.

Bond, Southee and skipper Daniel Vettori form the core of the New Zealand attack who will try to quell Ponting and a powerful Australian batting lineup on a usually run-filled McLean Park pitch.

Key men Shane Watson and Mitchell Johnson will also return after being rested in Christchurch.

"He (Ponting) will be a similar presence to Shane for us, he'll lift the team with that fighting attitude," Southee said.

McCullum will lead the way for the hosts after his unbeaten 116 in Christchurch, off just 56 balls with a few daring lap sweeps thrown in off the now-departed speedster Shaun Tait.

It should be more orthodox in the 50-over format but Cameron White, who slammed 64 not out off 26 balls in Christchurch, said the New Zealand opener was forming a big part of the tourists' video analysis sessions.

"I guess we'll have to go away and look to take some areas of the ground away from him (McCullum). It's very hard when he's basically hitting the ball the whole way around the field, especially the paddle sweeps," White said.

"It's something we'll have to look at and come up with a plan, because Brendon not only last night but in the past against Australia - especially in this country - has been a damaging player for New Zealand."

- NZPA