Cricket: Black Caps woes not over yet says Dyson

Just when New Zealand thought they'd seen the last of the hard-nosed Australian cricketers, along came Sri Lankan coach John Dyson.

The former Aussie test opener, who toured here with Greg Chappell's side in 1982, yesterday wasted no time in turning the spotlight on New Zealand ahead of the first test at McLean Park, starting this morning.

Crushed by Australia in both the one-day and test series, New Zealand's upcoming showdown is being viewed as a barometer for their entire season, providing valuable data on their progress under coach John Bracewell.

In the eyes of many, a loss against the underdone Sri Lankans would confirm a dramatic decline in the standard of New Zealand's test game, whereas a win would help ease the present undercurrent of anxiety.

Dyson, however, was scornful of any suggestion that his side would provide a leg-up for New Zealand's international credibility, saying he believed the home side was vulnerable after last month's carnage.

"I think there's a lot of pressure on the New Zealand guys. They've just been flogged [by Australia] and you are all now expecting them to do the same to us. Good luck," he said.

"[NZ captain] Stephen Fleming would be feeling the pressure of not having a great series against the Aussies, but he's not alone. There are a number of them that had very ordinary series, so I think there's pressure on all of them."

New Zealand's management team have been careful with their comments in the lead-up to the opening test match, but former test wicket-keeper Adam Parore has described a culture of confidence within the team, and the TAB has installed the Black Caps as the $2.75 favourites.

Adding hope to the home team's cause is the fact that Sri Lanka will be without their headline act Muthiah Muralitharan, and pacemen Nuwan Zoysa and Dilhara Fernando, and haven't played a test since last October in Karachi.

To complicate matters, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board has been dissolved by the Government for the third time in six years, leaving Dyson's and his players' contracts up in the air.

"The team chuckle at it, they're used to it. I'm the one who's not used to things like that," said Dyson.

To cap things off for the Sri Lankans, their warm-up match against a Major Association's XI at Lincoln was washed out last week, leaving them chronically under-prepared.

The relative lack of match-play has interested Fleming, but not to the point of taking anything for granted.

"They're a good side, and the danger is [if] we underestimate them, which we won't," he said.

"The public now see them as easy-beats but they're far from that, they're a very good side, No 4 in the world and they've played some very good test cricket over the past 18 months.

"Their batting lineup is extremely strong, they've got some quality players through there. But they haven't played a lot of cricket, which is an area we have to try and exploit."

New Zealand last night opted to omit seamer Iain O'Brien from the twelve, meaning a third test cap for Auckland swing-bowler Kyle Mills, and an opportunity for Paul Wiseman to play as the side's No 1 spin merchant.

Fleming said it was time for the New Zealand batsmen to be more pro-active after a month in which they virtually subjugated themselves against the Australian bowling attack.

"The calibre of bowling we faced against Australia was outstanding, they were able to stunt us in our scoring rate, so we're looking at being a bit more positive."

The teams

New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (captain), James Marshall, Craig Cumming, Hamish Marshall, Nathan Astle, Lou Vincent, Brendon McCullum, Kyle Mills, James Franklin, Paul Wiseman, Chris Martin.

Sri Lanka (from): Marvan Atapattu (captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Thilan Samaraweera, Shantha Kalavithigoda, Upul Chandana, Chaminda Vaas, Farveez Maharoof, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasitha Malinga, Ruchira Perera, Rangana Herath.

Umpires: Darrell Hair (Australia), Steve Bucknor (West Indies).