Cricket: Donald working on ball preservation

Black Caps bowling coach Allan Donald has identified ball preservation as the key to New Zealand continuing to get reverse swing at the Cricket World Cup.

Hamish Bennett benefited from reverse swing in the Black Caps' World Cup opener against Kenya, taking career best figures of 4-16.

Donald says they threw the ball into the dirt too much in their practice match against India and it wrecked the ball.

But they changed things against Kenya.

He says once Bennett came on and got the ball to tail in he sent out the message to keep the ball in the air and keep it hard.

Donald says Friday's World Cup match against Australia is a must-win to restore confidence in the Black Caps squad.

- NEWSTALK ZB