Cricket: McCullum keen for shot at top

Brendon McCullum, batting in the nets in Wellington yesterday, wants to open for the Black Caps. Marty Melville / Getty Images

WELLINGTON - Brendon McCullum would jump at the chance to open the batting for New Zealand, but says it's up to coach John Bracewell to make the first move.

Singled out as a potential solution for his team's malfunctioning top-order, the New Zealand wicketkeeper yesterday expressed his enthusiasm for more batting responsibility, while also making diplomatic noises about the ability of the incumbents.

New Zealand's top six batsmen perished inside the first 13 overs on Saturday, the worst of them to dismissals so demoralising that it's hard to imagine them wanting to get out of bed tomorrow, let alone front up against Australia in a Chappell-Hadlee re-match in Wellington.

McCullum has batted at No 8 and 9 for most of his career but is viewed as a potential option up the order in the long-term, mainly because of his neat and compact technique, his flexible method and his energetic running between the wickets.

He'd like to bat higher in the order - preferably at some stage before the World Cup - but he considers it important that Bracewell approach him about the challenge, rather than the other way around.

"I've got no qualms about saying I want to do it [before the World Cup] but I've got to make sure I've done my time and that I've earned the right to do it," he said.

"Who knows what's going to happen down the track but in terms of me wanting to give more to the side - of course I do.

"I think Braces knows I'm champing at the bit but, at the end of the day, I haven't earned the right yet and the guys who are up there have.

"We aren't scoring runs at the moment but they're very good players and hopefully we can pick ourselves back up, get out there and do the job."

New Zealand's hopes of causing a shock upset tomorrow night depend mainly on their ability to resist the extreme pace of Brett Lee, who made several of their leading batsmen look like paralysed invertebrates at the weekend, and exposed what seemed a reluctance to get in behind the ball.

So comprehensive were some of the dismissals that it would be no surprise to discover that team psychologist Gilbert Enoka has been working throughout the night on his most affected charges, and that the uttering of Lee's name has been banned at the team hotel, in case it causes a stampede.

However, McCullum said it was going too far to suggest that the New Zealand batsmen were scared of Lee.

"I'm sure people are anxious facing him because he bowls at the speed of light; he's no different to Shane Bond, Shoaib Akhtar or Steve Harmison.

"The guy bowls exceptionally quick, but just because you are a little anxious about things doesn't make you a worse player.

"In fact a lot of players steel up and play better."

The New Zealand players are certain to pay a lot more attention to their strategy against Lee tomorrow night, and seem likely to adopt an ultra-conservative approach, working on the theory that it's better to survive and fight later in the innings, than to perish at the outset and leave your teammates behind the eight-ball.

"He's quick, Brett Lee. Let's not shirk the fact," said McCullum. "He's fast and he's also very clever so it's something we have to overcome.

"But from this point on it's about trying to negate the loss of early wickets. Whether that means being more attacking or more defensive I'm not sure; that's purely up to the own individual's gameplan."