KEY POINTS:
Four must-do's and must-do nots for NZ at the Gabba tonight
MUST-DO'S
BOWL FIRST: Okay, this option isn't entirely in captain Dan Vettori's hands. However his record as a coin tosser is pretty impressive - altogether he's won 30 of 44 tosses in ODIs, six of
nine since the start of the West Indies series on New Year's Eve.
He might have a quiet prayer this morning that he gets one more call right today.
This series had been a collection of Clayton's tosses - Australia prefer batting first, New Zealand like to chase a target - until Adelaide on Tuesday when Vettori broke the mould.
He may have wanted to avoid dodging another bullet after Australia rattled up 301 in Sydney, having been sent in on a ripping batting pitch.
Vettori is also strong on wanting New Zealand to be equally comfortable doing both. His argument is that if New Zealand go into the World Cup semifinal and are sent in, and are not comfortable with it, it's a bit late to try and rectify matters.
That said, on a big night, in a one-off, this is no time to check out how the bat-first option is looking.
The Gabba is perhaps the one pitch in Australia where Australian skipper Ricky Ponting might fancy a bowl. It is always bouncy with early help for the seamers and if the overhead conditions are right, there's usually some juice in the pitch.
CATCHES WIN MATCHES: An oldie but a goodie. It had a particular resonance at Adelaide when one dropped catch might have been all the
difference.
Craig Cumming put Mike Hussey low at deep mid-wicket when "Mr Cricket" was on 40 and Australia 173 for three, with 72 needed and 11 overs left. Given their flaky middle order, it could have turned the match New Zealand's way.
On five, Hussey was dropped by Martin Guptill, a hard chance at mid-wicket which he got finger tips to.
At Sydney in game two, Peter Fulton grassed opener Brad Haddin on 76 at deep mid-wicket. The keeper went on to 109.
Vettori pointed out this week "there's no part of our game that doesn't need to improve for Brisbane". True, and fielding, so sharp early in the Chappell Hadlee series, is no exception.
DON'T PANIC: The old Dad's Army refrain is worth drumming in.
Grant Elliott is a prime example in this series of a batsman knowing his capabilities, being aware there was no need to try and go ballistic, on his way to his fine double of 61 not out and 115 at Melbourne and Sydney.
Some of his teammates could do a lot worse than follow his example.
With batsmen capable of invention like never before in the game, chasing 80 in the last 10 overs is highly do-able, providing you have wickets in hand.
Getting desperate and tossing away wickets early in a panic is a surefire recipe for failure.
BLIND PEW AND SHUT EYE SAM: The faces have changed through the series, but the umpires have been passing the white stick around from game to game.
Whoever has been officiating, the standard has been poor. New Zealand have copped a few, but so too have Australia.
The worst decisions were giving Brendon McCullum lbw off a fat inside edge second ball at Perth, and letting Ponting off when dead set lbw in Adelaide on 1.
Australian newcomer Callum Ferguson got a free pass with a plumb lbw in Adelaide too, but too late to make much difference.
David Hussey was probably stiff in Perth too.
Ross Taylor was given leg before in Sydney off an inside edge - albeit a faint one - then there's the double oversights of wicketkeeper Brad Haddin's gloves-in-front handiwork.
It cost Neil Broom his wicket in Perth and Haddin was at it again in Adelaide. He has form. The umpires should be aware of it.
The danger is players getting paranoid about them.
MUST-DO NOTS
THE PONTING FACTOR: The Australian skipper is the world's No 1 batsman but New Zealand have got off lightly in this series with Ponting managing scores of 5, 16 and 15.
Consider some numbers: In 309 ODIs he's averaged 42.87. Against New Zealand in 42 games, he goes at 51.20 with six hundreds. He scored four of them in his five innings before this series. He has gone 14 ODIs without a century.
Conclusion: he's due.
Therefore New Zealand must be on guard.
In his last two innings he's fallen to miscued pull shots. He fell the same way against South Africa earlier in the summer.
Ponting has talked off perhaps being guilty of premeditating the shot, which has been among his productive throughout his career. Vettori reckons him the finest hooker and puller he's seen.
He's not about to put the shot away, so New Zealand should not fear putting out the bait. Given that he's a bit hit and miss with it right now, it's a risk worth taking. If he gets away on New Zealand, there's big trouble brewing.
DON'T LET THE BOWLING GUARD DOWN: When Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin added 135 for the first wicket in Sydney, it was possibly the most important hour and a half of the series in terms of shifting the balance between the teams.
Australia didn't look back, and haven't since that afternoon.
Equally, New Zealand should appreciate that this is not the formidable batting lineup of a few seasons back when if Gilchrist, Hayden, Ponting and Mark Waugh failed, there was always Steve Waugh and Michael Bevan to bail Australia out.
Therefore, if things are going pear-shaped in the first 20 overs, the bowlers must stay on the job. They might find perseverance brings its rewards.
CASH IN ON THE FIFTH BOWLER: Nathan Bracken, Mitchell Johnson and James Hopes are good value with the ball for Australia.
Depending on the selection, the Tasmanian brickie Ben Hilfenhaus is very hittable and Peter Siddle, if selected, will be on ODI debut. They need to be got at, but just as important is the contribution of the fifth Australian bowler, who has been a mix of Clarke's left arm spin, David Hussey's part time offspin and Cameron White's exotic legspin.
New Zealand should consider offering Ponting a fat brown packet to keep White on longer. It's barely credible in the land once ruled by Shane Warne that he was Australia's sole spinner in three tests in India before Christmas.
In the last four games, their combined bowling stints have produced figures of 40-0-198-5. New Zealand must make more of their time at the bowling crease.
LOSE: The Aussies have had it tough this summer, beaten in two series by South Africa. New Zealand have a royal opportunity to end Australia's home campaign on a downer, and give themselves a huge fillip ahead of the arrival of India for what will be a tough ODI and test tour.
It probably doesn't much matter how they manage it. This is a chance to grab a little piece of history, the first head-to-head ODI series win in Australia. Be bold, back themselves and as the old ad goes, just do it.
