Cricket: Pacemen look to heavens - and smile

By RICHARD BOOCK

The second test might not start until 10.30am, but the mind games are already well under way at Eden Park.

Not since 1986, when New Zealand beat Australia to score a famous series win, has the grand old lady of Auckland hosted such a pivotal test as the one between New Zealand and South Africa.

Having emerged from the crumbling landscape of Westpac Park with the three-match series deadlocked at 0-0, both sides know that a win in this test would leave them handily placed to complete their assignment at Wellington.

New Zealand have never beaten South Africa in a test series, despite a rivalry that dates back 73 years to the inaugural test in 1931.

Proteas coach Eric Simons began the "hoping game" this week when he told South African reporters that he doubted New Zealand could sustain their over-performance much longer and would struggle to maintain momentum at Auckland.

And Stephen Fleming took it another step yesterday when he took comfort from a suggestion that the odds were against 28-year-old run-factory Jacques Kallis scoring another century. Kallis has already posted hundreds in five consecutive tests and will equal the record of Sir Donald Bradman if he can add another at Eden Park.

His is just one of a cluster of milestones that beckon several players, and will act as an absorbing sidelight to the heavyweight battle between the second and third best test sides in world cricket.

Other records in sight include: Gary Kirsten becoming the first South African to play 100 tests; Shaun Pollock becoming the most successful bowler in South African test history (he needs one more wicket to overtake Allan Donald); Chris Cairns becoming the sixth player in world cricket to score 3000 runs and take 200 wickets (he needs 108 runs and two wickets); and Daniel Vettori moving into third place on the New Zealand test wicket-taking list.

Fleming said Kallis' wicket was shaping as a key aspect of the test, but that his team still wanted to explore some strategies and ideas that could help nullify his threat at Auckland.

The powerful right-hander proved a handful for the hosts at Hamilton, where he scored 92 in the first innings and then posted a masterful 150 not out in the second.

"There's a couple of areas we're still interested in," Fleming said. "We came close to executing in Hamilton, but for one reason or another it didn't quite happen the way we wanted.

"One could say he's due [to fail] after scoring so many runs, and we're looking at it that way rather than viewing him as a weapon."

The other major consideration for both teams yesterday was the drizzle that forced the pitch to remain under cover for most of the day, almost certainly contributing to seam-friendly conditions this morning.

New Zealand last night omitted off-spinner Paul Wiseman and fast bowler Ian Butler from the 13-srong squad, and opted to recall paceman Chris Martin, who last played for New Zealand during the bomb stricken tour of Pakistan in 2002.

South Africa are also likely to retain the bulk of the side from the first test, the only question marks hovering over whether they will opt for the orthodox spin of Nicky Boje rather than Paul Adams, and for the pace of David Terbrugge instead of Andre Nel.

"Everyone's keyed up, seamers and spinners alike," Fleming said.

"The talk [about the pitch] is better this time, if that's anything to go by. The ground staff here think it will have more pace than Hamilton."

The teams

New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (capt), Michael Papps, Mark Richardson, Scott Styris, Craig McMillan, Chris Cairns, Jacob Oram, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, Daryl Tuffey, Chris Martin.

South Africa (from): Graeme Smith (capt), Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Rudolph, Jacques Kallis, Neil McKenzie, Gary Kirsten, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock, Nicky Boje, Makhaya Ntini, David Terbrugge, Andre Nel, Paul Adams, Martin van Jaarsveld.