KEY POINTS:
New Zealand coach John Bracewell has bemused the Australians by throwing a curve ball on why star player Adam Gilchrist is out of Thursday's Chappell Hadlee Trophy decider in Hobart.
The player recently voted his country's finest ever one-day cricketer is officially resting and his place will be taken by capable New South Wales gloveman Brad Haddin, who has played 25 ODIs since 2000-01, including all three Chappell Hadlee games in New Zealand last season.
With the series still in the balance, after Australia won the opening game in Adelaide and the second in Sydney on Sunday was washed out, Bracewell was asked yesterday if he was surprised Gilchrist will miss the match.
"No, not at all because of the circumstances of why he's left out," Bracewell said.
Asked what those circumstances were he said: "it's not up to me to reveal that."
Pressed on what he was alluding to, Bracewell added another layer of smoke.
"I know it's been called rested, but it's not for me to reveal."
Asked if he was referring to family issues, Bracewell said: "I don't know, but it's not necessarily [being] rested."
Bracewell would be a good man to have on a camping trip. If the matches were left at home, he'd find a way to start the fire.
According to sources close to the Australian squad, Gilchrist's omission had been planned weeks ago as part of a strategy to give players time out during a hectic summer.
Captain Ricky Ponting and opener Matthew Hayden, for example, sat out the Twenty20 international in Perth last week.
India begin their four-test series in Melbourne on Boxing Day, with the Tri-Series to follow against the Indians and Sri Lanka.
Gilchrist yesterday said the rest breaks are part of a plan to manage the players' workloads.
He was asked his view if the New Zealanders thought Australia were being arrogant by resting him.
"I don't care what they say. They've had a lot to say this week. I wonder what they'll have to say next."
And getting a definitive answer from Bracewell on where he stands on the Shaun Tait throwing row was as easy as grasping fog.
Asked if he had a view on the South Australian speedster's action, which has put sting into the series, Bracewell said: "If I had an issue with his action I'd have spoken to the match referee, and I haven't."
So Tait's slingy action, which delivered one 155km/h thunderbolt at Adelaide, is fine by Bracewell?
"I just haven't spoken to the match referee. He's a bowler like anybody else and damn fast and good on him."
Bracewell maintained Tait's action had never been discussed within the squad.
"We read it in the newspapers like everybody else."
* The Chappell Hadlee series is locked in place until 2012, with the only hiccup being the 2010-11 season when the Ashes series is in Australia followed by the World Cup.
The next two seasons will be five-game series, in Australia next summer, in New Zealand in 2009-10.
