KEY POINTS:
The last time New Zealand played Australia in cricket's hamburger heaven, beige was back, with towelling hats, more facial hair than a Victorian era XI, and a bloke in an Afro wig who looked like an extra from the musical Hair.
The transtasman rivals meet for only the second time in a Twenty20 international at Perth's Waca ground today before a full house 20,000 and it's a certainty New Zealand will take it more seriously than they did at Eden Park on February 17, 2005.
Novelty was big that night. Hamish Marshall won't live down his frizzed hairdo and several players hopefully realised that they really don't suit being away from the razor too long. The only things missing were players patrolling the outfield on unicycles, jugglers on the boundary and the Mc's MC, Frankie Stevens, roaring the crowd on to "give it up for big Daryl Tuffey"!!
Tuffey got a strained neck peering up into the twilight that day as Ricky Ponting took 6, 2, 6, 6, 4, 6 in his last over on his way to a terrific 98 in 55 balls, with pure cricket strokes, which opened the eyes of those who reasoned it would be a slog and hoickfest.
The Aussies smiled along for the cameras but got serious when the game began, hitting 214 for five and winning comfortably. Eden Park was packed and the shortest form of cricket was off and away.
How things change in a couple of years. That was the first Twenty20 international, one of three that year. There were nine last year and this will be the 37th of 2007.
Admittedly there was a world Twenty20 championship in South Africa to bolster the numbers, but the fact there was a world title at stake amply illustrates the growth in the game which is shorter than Gone With the Wind.
New Zealand have played 12 internationals in this form, winning five, losing six and tying with the West Indies at Eden Park in February last year. New Zealand will play England twice, in Christchurch and Auckland, in February.
The game has proved a hit and New Zealand Cricket have fingers crossed for its domestic competition, which has been nestled into a 2 1/2 week window from January 17.
Australia will be captained by Michael Clarke today, promoted ahead of Adam Gilchrist and Mike Hussey - both West Australians - in the absence of Ponting.
Matthew Hayden is also missing, but the bowling looks strong and the batting tasty, even without their regular flint-eyed leader.
Two New Zealand players will be among those to wear microphones for Channel Nine's TV coverage, with on-the-spot interviews between overs.
"They've asked us to do it and we're okay as long as the players are okay with it," New Zealand manager Lindsay Crocker said. "It's not something they're used to at home but I guess it adds to the occasion."
New Zealand's last Twenty20 game was a three-wicket loss to South Africa on November 23 in Johannesburg, which went to the second-last ball.
There is a feeling round the New Zealanders that in the short game, they are always a chance. The five-day version is another story. This is a lead-in to the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy starting in Adelaide on Friday. Its relevance to that is psychological rather than actual.
Win, or at least be close, and they'll arrive in Adelaide feeling good about life; get a towelling and Australia will adopt that foot-on-throat attitude their opponents have come to know so well.
New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (captain), Lou Vincent, Brendon McCullum, Jamie How, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, Jacob Oram, Mathew Sinclair, Kyle Mills, Jeetan Patel, Mark Gillespie, Chris Martin.
Australia (from): Michael Clarke (captain), Adam Gilchrist, Brad Hodge, Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Adam Voges, Brett Lee, Ashley Noffke, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson, Shaun Tait.
