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MELBOURNE - Neil Broom was rubbing shoulders with sporting greatness long before he left school.
One of New Zealand's new breed of one-day international cricketers, Broom fondly recalls playing first 11 cricket and first 15 rugby alongside Dan Carter at Christchurch Boys' High School, that production line for
sporting internationals.
Each excelled in the other's chosen sport; Broom playing fullback and occasionally combining with Carter in the five-eighths, while Carter's immense talent extended to the cricket pitch.
"He was a handy cricketer, an allrounder, he played for Canterbury Country and could smash it miles. He'd be playing first-class cricket now, if not better," Broom said.
But even a star lineup in the first 15 wasn't a recipe for instant success.
"We had a great team on paper but we lost in the top-eight to Timaru Boys'. Dan missed a few easy penalties in front," Broom recalled with a wry grin, sitting in one of the cavernous grandstands at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
A few years on, Broom's rise hasn't quite been Carter-esque, but the 25-year-old showed enough at the WACA ground in Perth to have Glenn Turner and his fellow national selectors sitting contentedly in their lounge chairs.
In just his third ODI, and first against Australia, Broom strode to the crease at a tenuous 64 for four, chasing 182, ignored the obligatory torrent of abuse from gloveman Brad Haddin and quickly looked the part.
On paper, 29 off 50 balls didn't look world-beating but the way he did it, adding 42 with Ross Taylor and consolidating the run chase, was encouraging before New Zealand staggered home by two wickets.
And there should have been more, but for `that dismissal'.
Broom admits he didn't know what was happening when Michael Clarke's delivery slipped through.
Replays showed Haddin's gloves clearly in front of the stumps and dislodging the bails while the ball appeared to miss.
"It's a funny one. I went back to cut it and I didn't hear the death rattle and it seemed a wee bit strange," Broom said.
"I stood around for a wee while. Maybe if I'd been around for a while I would have made more of a fuss about it.
"Steve Bucknor gave me out (nodded) and I just walked. Then I saw it on the replay...."
Broom harbours no outward ill-feeling towards Haddin, labelling him a "good competitor" whom he looked forward to jousting with again.
There were better things to remember as Broom and his teammates celebrated victory in the dressing room until midnight before security finally asked them to leave.
He also stamped his class as a fielder, racing in from deep square leg, a one-handed pick-up and throw to run out the great Ricky Ponting for five.
"I thought he might be safe. It was an awesome feeling."
As a schoolboy, Broom would watch New Zealand's tours of Australia on television with as much awe as any sporting event.
Now, after an encouraging start against the West Indies where he showed his hitting power, he sees the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy as the series that could book his long-term future.
"It was always the best cricket to watch. To be playing a one-day series in Australia is basically the pinnacle of my career. It won't get much better than this so I want to enjoy it.
"Everyone says if you come and perform in Australia that sets up your career. The heat of battle out here is pretty full-on with the crowd, you get abused and the media's quite harsh."
He'd duelled with speedster Shaun Tait for New Zealand A but was anxious about facing the likes of Nathan Bracken and Mitchell Johnson.
Broom wasn't overawed and gave himself a cautious pass mark.
"To perform the way I did wasn't too bad and I'll take a bit of confidence into the rest of the series.
"I faced Tait in India in the winter and picked him up pretty well, and Bracken is a pretty good bowler but he's nothing different to guys you face back home."
But he expects some Australian fireworks at the MCG, stung by four consecutive losses and a beating from New Zealand's fresh-faced lineup.
He's tipping himself and Martin Guptill to cop some of the heat as the new boys, but that's the sort of contest he relishes.
The brief from captain Daniel Vettori and coach Andy Moles is to play his natural game, which lifted him to prominence with Otago.
Broom's quickfire 24 not out on debut against West Indies in Auckland, including two big sixes, offered a hint of his hitting power.
It's also tailor-made for Twenty20, and Broom is targeting the mid-year World Cup in England. And there's always the Indian Premier League (IPL) to eventually aim for.
"I targeted this series to play the first game and hopefully consolidate a spot at five or six, play every game and score runs over here is a massive goal, then home for India.
"There's a lot of cricket, the Twenty20 World Cup is another thing I really want to be on. It's a massive stepping stone."
- NZPA
