Cricket: Cavalry arrives for weary Black Caps

NZ test opener BJ Watling will get his first taste of Australia on Friday. Photo / Hawke’s Bay Today

New Zealand's test side assemble in Wellington today with some leftover confidence but also the knowledge they'll need to play out of their skins to stop Australia steamrolling them in the two-match series starting in Wellington on Friday.

Captain Daniel Vettori's side bowled and fielded brilliantly to seal a 51-run win in the fifth and final one-day international at Westpac Stadium on Saturday as Australia retained the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy 3-2.

It was a handy boost for the flagging New Zealanders who'd lost three in a row, and gave Ricky Ponting's tourists a message they were still up for a fight.

Still, two of their best players from the ODI series - Shane Bond and Scott Styris - have retired from test cricket and the likes of top-three Tim McIntosh, BJ Watling and Peter Ingram will be playing their first tests against the powerful Australian side.

"We've got some players who are developing at the test level and some are more experienced than others. It's a great challenge to go up against one of the best sides in the world," said selector/coach Mark Greatbatch, noting Australia's world test ranking of three compared with New Zealand's six.

"We need to compete every day for five days and just fight really hard and smart and see if we can take the Australians to five days. If we can do that, then we're a chance."

Greatbatch and fellow selectors Daniel Vettori and Glenn Turner named a largely predictable 13 including the same 11 who beat Bangladesh by 121 runs in Hamilton last month, plus seamer Brent Arnel and 32-test batsman Mathew Sinclair who was described as top-order batting cover.

Vettori was confirmed as a No 6 batsman, meaning five specialist bowlers and potentially another chance for offspinner Jeetan Patel on his home ground, depending on the state of the Basin Reserve pitch.

The New Zealand captain said the momentum from the finale of a torrid ODI series was handy, but rest was their priority early in the week.

"We've played three games in five days and it gives everyone a break. It's a good thing and a bad thing, we've touched on the confidence that's there and maybe you want to get straight back into it. But there's a lot of tired bodies on both sides so it's probably a good break," Vettori said.

"Any time you beat Australia it's a great feeling and it'll give us a little bit of confidence going into the test match and give us a bit of confidence heading into a World Cup next year."

Newcomers from outside the ODI squad who faced Australia are McIntosh, Watling, Sinclair, Patel, Chris Martin and Arnel.

Australia's test reinforcements were scheduled to arrive today, including the returning vice-captain Michael Clarke, batsmen Simon Katich, Phil Hughes and Marcus North, and young legspinner/batsman Steve Smith.

Katich and Clarke boost an imposing Australian batting lineup while the bowling will be largely similar to the ODIs with left-armer Mitchell Johnson again the main dangerman.

- NZPA