Cricket: Fleming getting back to his best

It's been a piecemeal season so far, but Stephen Fleming can feel the form and rhythm returning just in time for the start of the main event - the test and one-day series against the West Indies.

Sidelined for two-thirds of last month's Chappell-Hadlee series after a cancer scare and an operation on his face, Fleming missed two of the four Sri Lankan one-dayers because of paternity leave, and batted in the final match of the series with a hamstring strain.

Having played just three ODIs since last September, the New Zealand skipper had been keen to spend some time in the middle for Wellington this month, and came up trumps at the weekend when he posted an assured 66 off 69 balls during his team's eight-wicket cakewalk against Auckland.

Set a modest 171 to win and remain in State Shield contention, Wellington cruised to the target after the early loss of Chris Nevin, following a match-winning 88-run stand for the second wicket between Fleming and Jesse Ryder.

Fleming showed signs of some of his best form during the innings, stroking a couple of signature straight-drives down the ground, cashing in on anything short, and at one stage hoisting Paul Hitchcock high over wide long-on for six.

So commanding was his hand that Wellington were able to easily knock off the winning runs inside 30 overs and capture what could be a critical bonus point.

The five points has left Wellington in a bottleneck of four title contenders and looks to have set up a showdown with leaders Central Districts in the final round in Palmerston North on Wednesday.

"I've felt pretty good for the past couple of weeks; it's just that I haven't been able to fully cash-in," said Fleming, whose State Shield scores this summer have been 104 (v Auckland), 13 (v Northern), 4, (v Northern) and 45 against Otago.

"But that [66 against Auckland] felt really good, and confirms what I've been thinking all along - I feel in reasonably good nick.

"Whenever those straight drives come out of the bag it's a good sign for me, so now it's hopefully just a matter of continuing the work and making sure the form continues against the West Indies."

The West Indies arrive in New Zealand in two weeks and will play their Twenty20 tour opener at Eden Park on Thursday, February 16, before heading to Queenstown for the start of a five- match one-day series.

The tourists will then assemble in Auckland to prepare for the first test starting on March 9, after which they will travel to Wellington's Basin Reserve for the second test, and on to Napier's McLean Park for the third.

However, while Fleming was enthusing about his own form, Auckland's State Shield campaign fell deeper into the mire after the comprehensive defeat, leaving them on track to match last season's paltry record of just a solitary campaign win.

The Auckland top-order batting collapsed and they never really recovering from being 34 for four.

* The only partial consolation for the Aces was that they were able to continue their success in the domestic Twenty20 competition, beating Wellington by five wickets yesterday to qualify for a home final next Sunday.

Chasing Wellington's 153 for 6 at Eden Park's Outer Oval, Auckland's Rob Nicol scored the winning runs off the final ball of the game to end unbeaten on 78, and set up a title clash against Canterbury.

An encouraging aspect of Auckland's win was the previously injured Scott Styris returning to the bowling crease. "It was fine, I didn't feel it at all," Styris said of his troublesome left knee.

WEST INDIES TOUR

* February 16, Twenty20, Eden Park, Auckland.

* February 18, ODI, Westpac Stadium, Wellington.

* February 22, ODI, Queenstown Events Centre, Queenstown.

* February 25, ODI, Jade Stadium, Christchurch.

* March 1, ODI, McLean Park, Napier.

* March 4, ODI, Eden Park, Auckland.

* March 9-13, First test, Eden Park, Auckland.

* March 17-21, Second test, Basin Reserve, Wellington.

* March 25-29, Third test, McLean Park, Napier.