Cricket: Kiwis face chilly reception

JOHANNESBURG - New Zealand's cricketers embarked on the final leg of their South African tour today with a pile of sweaters on standby.

Now encamped 6000-metres up on the high veldt - at an altitude twice that of Cape Town's Table Mountain - the Black Caps had the first of two pre-test training sessions after carefully warming up in conditions more appropriate for the rugby season.

And while they were huffing and puffing in the nets, three gas heaters were engaged drying out the test pitch a short distance away.

The only heart-warming news was saved for the seam bowlers as the nation's focus turned to the third test at the Wanderers, which starts here tomorrow night (NZ time).

Curator Chris Scott has spent 10 days - twice as long as usual - to prepare a wicket which will hopefully produce an even contest between bat and ball.

Bowlers, especially Makhaya Ntini, had a field day in the first test at Centurion, where the Proteas took a 1-0 series lead courtesy of a 128-run victory, though double centurion Stephen Fleming plus hundred makers James Franklin, Hashim Amla and Ashwell Prince exacted revenge at the drawn encounter at Newlands on a virtual road.

Time is running out though for Scott's grand design, and unhelpful, sunless weather conditions have forced him to resort to artificial heating.

Scott, who has prepared the Wanderers for 32 years, has sought to replicate hothouse conditions by enclosing the wicket with a tent before activating the gas burners and fans to harden the surface before play starts on Friday (1930NZT).

"In a nutshell, I'm trying to prepare a wicket in between Centurion and Newlands," Scott said.

"I don't want a flat pitch or one that does too much but the weather hasn't made it easy. Pace and bounce in important at the Wanderers but the conditions at this time of year aren't conducive to hard wickets," he lamented.

"You can do as much rolling as you want but you still need the sun to bake down on the pitch (to make it firm)."

Scott today reckoned the wicket was about 90 per cent ready. The virtual hothouse will hopefully finish the job nature could not currently manage.

However, whatever Scott ultimately manages to achieve, the wicket will bear no resemblance to the strip next door which is engraved in South African cricket folklore after the Proteas scored a world record 438 to beat Australia in a one-dayer in March.

The test wicket was last used in January for two domestic one-day games that produced an aggregate of more than 1000 runs but still contains too much moisture despite not having been watered for more 10 days.

New Zealand paceman Chris Martin was not exactly salivating after peeking inside the tent but from a bowling perspective he was encouraged by what he saw.

"There's going to be a little bit of moisture so it should be good (bowling) for the first day or so," Martin said, before reflecting on the trouble New Zealand faced the last time they played on a green top at the venue.

"We were rolled pretty quickly but it rained three days after that," Martin recalled on the drawn third test in December 2000.

Then New Zealand, already 0-2 down, were dismissed for 200 before rain guaranteed a draw.

Hamish Marshall made an unscripted test debut that day, after Craig Spearman withdrew prompting a top order reshuffle, and gutsing it out admirably for an unbeaten 40.

Unfortunately a Makhaya Ntini-inflicted rib injury appears almost certain to prevent making another test appearance at the scene of New Zealand's only test victories in the Republic.

Marshall is still struggling with cracked ribs, indicating Michael Papps and Peter Fulton will open the innings for a second straight test.

The seam-friendly nature of the wicket should see Jeetan Patel, who impressed with bat and ball at Newlands, replaced by swing exponent Kyle Mills.

South Africa are playing a waiting game on the fitness of test centurion Shaun Pollock, who pulled out of the second test with a lower back injury.

He bowled in the nets today but a final decision is not likely on his availability until shortly before the toss.

- NZPA