Cricket: Fleming calls for scrapping of Super Six points

2.00pm

BLOEMFONTEIN - New Zealand cricket captain Stephen Fleming today waded into the World Cup format debate by calling for all teams to start on a level playing field in the Super Six series.

New Zealand kick off their Super Six against Zimbabwe at Goodyear Park here tonight (9pm NZ time), the start of an intense seven-day period which also includes matches against Australia and India.

All the talk is about the same format from the previous World Cup in 1999 which sees teams carry through their points from pool play to the next phase.

It has seen the laughable situation of lowly Kenya already with 10 points and needing just one upset win to book a semifinal.

They could even make it without a win if New Zealand, who languish ahead of only Zimbabwe on four points, win just one of their three matches.

That has added huge importance to tonight's match, something which irked Fleming.

"It's a hot debate and my personal view is once you get through to another stage you start again," Fleming said.

"Too much can happen in the first stage to warrant taking points through, as we've seen, and I'm sure that will be reviewed.

"The concept when it was introduced had the best intentions of rewarding sides for playing well throughout the World Cup. But certain stages warrant certain stresses and strains, and when you get to the Super Six it should start again."

New Zealand are shooting for three wins from three this week to give them a chance of finishing second or third, and a semifinal in Durban against either India or Sri Lanka rather than a Port Elizabeth semi against the likely top dogs Australia.

Fleming, not surprisingly, named an unchanged side from the five-wicket win over Canada on Monday.

That left Daryl Tuffey again languishing on the sidelines having bowled just five overs in the tournament, and saw Chris Harris retained as a second slow bowling option on a dead pitch.

Also out are Lou Vincent and Kyle Mills who are still recovering from thumb and hamstring injuries respectively.

"We've got a very good opening bowler in Daryl Tuffey who's sitting on the sidelines, we want to make sure the guys doing the job appreciate we've got quality players waiting in the wings, " Fleming said.

"That was the only debate, Chris Harris showed in the last game he adds value batting-wise and on this wicket his bowling could play a part."

New Zealand have won 16 and lost seven of their one-day internationals against Zimbabwe but in the two most recent series have suffered 1-2 defeats -- in September 2000 in Zimbabwe and in January 2001 at home when Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak slammed 79 off 67 balls to win the decider.

New Zealand though have Chris Cairns, Shane Bond, Andre Adams and Daniel Vettori who weren't around for that series, while Zimbabwe are without experienced batsman Alistair Campbell and legspinner Paul Strang.

"I think we've advanced as a team since then and we've also got a lot more resources back. That was during a time when we were scraping the barrel with injuries, and some guys are more experienced now," Fleming said.

Zimbabwe suffered a setback today when top-order batsman Mark Vermeulen was struck by a bouncer at training and suffered a hairline skull fracture.

Zimbabwe's key men as always are Streak and batsmen Andy and Grant Flower, with Andy Flower retaining his place despite his black armband protests against President Robert Mugabe's regime in their first World Cup match.

Fellow protester Henry Olonga hasn't been so lucky and has been sidelined ever since, with paceman Doug Hondo likely to continue in his place tonight.

New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (captain), Craig McMillan, Nathan Astle, Scott Styris, Chris Cairns, Brendon McCullum, Chris Harris, Jacob Oram, Daniel Vettori, Andre Adams, Shane Bond.

Zimbabwe (from): Heath Streak (captain), Craig Wishart, Grant Flower, Dion Ebrahim, Andy Flower, Guy Whittall, Andy Blignaut, Sean Ervine, Tatenda Taibu, Doug Marillier, Travis Friend, Brian Murphy, Doug Hondo, Henry Olonga.

Umpires: Rudi Koertzen (South Africa), Darrell Hair (Australia). Third umpire: Asoka de Silva (Sri Lanka).

- NZPA

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