Cricket: Fleming reflects on 1994-95 debacle

JOHANNESBURG - New Zealand cricket captain Stephen Fleming wants to put right the debacle that was the team's last South African tour as they begin their eight-week stay in the Republic.

A bleary-eyed New Zealand team flew into Johannesburg early yesterday after their ICC Knockout Trophy win over India in Nairobi.

They deservedly celebrated their four-wicket win, where the cool heads of man-of-the-match Chris Cairns and Chris Harris saw them through to their winning target of 265.

But there was no time to bask in the glory, with their opening game against Gauteng in Soweto tonight before the first of six one-day internationals in Potchefstroom on Friday.

For Fleming, the ICC tournament win was another page to his impressive captaincy resume, but yesterday he was already looking ahead.

He talked openly about the last tour in 1994-95, which was punctuated by ill-discipline and excessive socialising.

After winning the first test, New Zealand lost the next two and the series.

The most publicised incident of that tour involved Fleming, Dion Nash and Matthew Hart, who were suspended and fined by New Zealand Cricket for smoking cannabis at a barbecue in Paarl.

Fleming, aged 21 at the time and still new to international cricket, admits the Paarl incident taught him a valuable lesson for six years down the track in one of cricket's toughest assignments.

"In a way I'm thankful that I went through it - I wish I hadn't - but coming back here now is a chance to leave a better taste, a better feeling about the New Zealand team," Fleming said.

"It's a chance to rectify things. You can look at it two ways - you can let it eat away at you, or you can develop from it - and I think all three of us have."

Fleming and wicketkeeper Adam Parore are the only survivors from the Geoff Howarth-coached, Ken Rutherford-captained side.

Nash was invalided out of the Zimbabwe section of the tour with a stress fracture of the back.

This is New Zealand's fourth tour of South Africa, 47 years since the first. They remain the only nation New Zealand have never beaten in a test series.

Given the lingering memory of the bad things rather than the good of the 1994-95 tour, Fleming felt the current team had already started off on the right foot.

"For the team we have now it's important performance-wise, whereas in 1994 we were very naive and didn't really understand the responsibilities that went with it.

"Coming the full circle is a great challenge."

Fleming last month surpassed Howarth as New Zealand's most successful test captain, a goal for which he had long striven.

He said a lot of that pride was a result of the last South African tour.

"It's taught me to respect what I'm doing. Things happened pretty easily for me up until that stage, and it gave me a much better focus on representing your country.

"The team environment at that stage didn't really enhance the traditions of New Zealand cricket, but this one does."

The absence of Nash and spinner Daniel Vettori with similar injuries will hamper New Zealand chances in the three tests, but should not be felt as much in the one-dayers, as evidenced by Monday's win.

Cairns, despite his heroics against India, remains doubtful and a scan on his injured knee was postponed until today.

Fleming said: "A test series win would be the ultimate here, but from a one-day point of view, from what we've just created over this tournament win, it would be a great chance to enhance that by taking South Africa to the post."

- NZPA