KEY POINTS:
You get the feeling John Bracewell is anxious to avoid rousing the Australians from their late-summer slumber as he approaches today's third and final Chappell-Hadlee one-dayer at Seddon Park in Hamilton.
One of the more antagonistic figures in transtasman cricket history, the New Zealand coach has apparently been
working on his diplomacy skills since his side's epic run-chase and eventual five-wicket win in the second match on Sunday.
Over the past couple of years, he has taken potshots at Australian television broadcaster Channel Nine, fast bowler Brett Lee and Gabba groundsman Kevin Mitchell.
But yesterday, he said he wasn't going to fall into the trap of kicking the Australians when they were down.
"If I've learned anything, it's to watch your tongue when you're speaking about Australia because it'll inevitably come back and bite you," he said.
"That's a lesson I've learned from making mistakes against Australians for the past 20 years."
New Zealand beat Australia in four consecutive games during the 2000-01 season, but since then have lost 20 of 24 one-dayers, including all four outings in the recent tri-series.
Bracewell said his squad had always been confident they were on the right track, but the back-to-back wins at Wellington and Auckland had shown outsiders that progress was being made, and that the team was still a chance for the World Cup.
However, he drew the line at using the two Chappell-Hadlee wins to poke fun at the usually bullet-proof Australians.
"Firstly, because of the respect we have for Australia, and also because we've been through this sort of thing too - more often than Australia - and we know that they're doing a lot of good things.
"We watch them train and practise, and we admire their skill and confidence. So I'm not going to read too much into a glitch - they will be dangerous on the night."
The combative coach even refused to have a dig at his Australian counterpart John Buchanan, who this month reckoned the Australians were getting more out of their practice sessions than from the matches against New Zealand and England.
"I knew this question was going to come up at some point and it's the same answer, really - I'm not going to enter into a debate about something John Buchanan said.
"I have enormous respect for him as a coach. He's got a hell of a record and he's bloody good at timing his run. Come World Cup time I'm sure Australia will come right on the night; I don't think anyone doubts that."
Bracewell revealed that New Zealand were likely to make at least two changes for today's game.
Shane Bond and Daniel Vettori will probably sit out the contest as a precaution after having muscular problems yesterday.
Vettori woke up with a stiff back and Bond is understood to have a hamstring strain.
Bracewell said off-spinner Jeetan Patel and left-arm paceman James Franklin would be brought in to replace Bond and Vettori.
He said Australian had experienced a mini-slump over the past fortnight, but they had dominated world cricket for many years and couldn't be ruled out because a couple of results hadn't gone their way.
"If you look over the past four years of the up-and-down nature of the 'other' teams, almost everybody's had a little stint at No 2 and probably a longer one about No 6, and that really hasn't changed," he said.
"All it's done is to heighten interest in the World Cup."
NZ v Australia
Hamilton, 2pm today
New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (c), Lou Vincent, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Jacob Oram, Craig McMillan, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, James Franklin, Shane Bond, Jeetan Patel, Daryl Tuffey, Mark Gillespie.
Australia: Michael Hussey (c), Matthew Hayden, Shane Watson, Brad Hodge, Adam Voges, Brad Haddin, Cameron White, Brad Hogg, Shaun Tait, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Bracken, Glenn McGrath.
