KEY POINTS:
The supertrousers soon to be worn by the New Zealand cricket side are getting plenty of attention in England but captain Daniel Vettori has sought to play down their apparent magical powers.
Vettori confirmed the new high-tech micro-shine trousers were road tested by two unnamed players during the
second test at Old Trafford and the tour match at Northampton, but wouldn't be seen in the third test starting tonight (NZT).
The three pairs of trousers, for fielding, bowling and batting are manufactured by the team's new sponsor Canterbury Clothing.
The bowling pants include a chamois-like patch to help shine the ball and make it swing. The company has also looked at adding an abrasive material to the pants that could scuff one side in the hope of producing reverse swing.
Canterbury marketing and sponsorship manager Colin Gibson said the fielding pants feature a microslide panel which helps players slide along the ground when retrieving the ball, while the batting pants have ventilation around the crotch and legs areas.
Canterbury's new deal with New Zealand Cricket (NZC) doesn't start until the new season in October, and the players were careful to fulfil current obligations to their individual batting gear sponsors.
"Only one guy wore them in the test match and one guy wore them at Northants. It's hard to give conclusive feedback so far," Vettori said.
"No (they won't be worn in the third test). Everyone's got their individual sponsors so they wear their own trousers."
Vettori wouldn't name the two players who tested them at the manufacturer's request, for fear of incurring the wrath of their gear sponsor. He was diplomatic about whether the added sheen to the ball made any impact for the bowlers.
"It seems unlikely, but these guys have put so much effort and research into it then they must have done their homework. If it's a way to get an edge then it'd be great, all sporting brands are trying to find that."
NZC followed the lead of the Yorkshire and Hampshire county sides who adopted the new gear this year. England captain Michael Vaughan, who plays for Yorkshire, couldn't resist a quip when told of New Zealand's new deal.
"I've just heard about that. I think Yorkshire had them as well, and it hasn't helped them."
The micro-shines were developed under the supervision of Dipal Patel, a former engineering student at Loughborough University, near Nottingham.
Also included is the micro-slide version for fielders, made of a sheer fabric enabling players to slide further across the outfield and the IonX BaseLayer undergarment which draws away moisture to keep players cool in the heat and warm in the cold.
The manufacturers claim the BaseLayer improves an athletes' performance by 2.7 per cent.
Gibson said Canterbury had found a loophole in International Cricket Council rules around clothing fabric. He said the shining material is legal and the company has considered adding an abrasive material to the pants which could help with reverse swing.
New Zealand manager Lindsay Crocker said players were being reminded of their current obligations to individual gear sponsors, although that would be reviewed when new deal kicks in.
England's players were in a similar situation during the first test at Lord's with their new deal with Adidas, whose Persil-white clothing and sweatshirts instead of jerseys upset many purists.
"They've managed to get around that in the short term by not displaying the Adidas logo on the trousers, and in turn not having their individual supply," Crocker said.
"It's a bit of an anomaly in cricket, there's no other team that I can think of that has a situation where we supply everything but the trousers.
"You don't say to the All Blacks, `here's your shirt but you bring your own black pants'."
- NZPA, NZ HERALD STAFF