KEY POINTS:
Daryl Tuffey has spoken for the first time about the behind-the-scenes support he's been receiving from cricketing folk-hero Lance Cairns.
The man who yesterday resurrected his international career after a two-year absence said Cairns had been a sounding board and confidante ever since his ignominious departure from the
game in 2005.
Tuffey was the main discussion point in the 15-man World Cup squad announced yesterday morning by coach John Bracewell, having grabbed the late vacancy made available by Kyle Mills' season-ending knee injury.
His last taste of international cricket was the third ODI against Australia at Eden Park in the summer of 2004-05, when he started the game with a 14-ball over that included four wides and four no balls.
Dropped for the remainder of the season, he was then implicated and fined for his part in the "milkshake sex romp" with a Christchurch woman, before sliding even further off the pace courtesy of a biceps injury.
However, having proven his fitness to the selectors during a modest State Shield campaign with Northern Districts, the 28-year-old is now anxious to use his 76 ODI caps and 90 wickets to his best possible advantage.
"It was great having a bit to do with Lance as I tried to get back up to speed; being able to talk about his approach to things, and the way he used to make his decisions," Tuffey said yesterday.
"Lance isn't the sort of guy who'd feel comfortable in a formal one-on-one but he was great value on the golf course - that was probably when he was at his most relaxed. He's that type of person.
"With his wealth of experience, he was a great help in terms of working out where I was going, and sorting out a pathway back."
Tuffey said his horror spell against Australia two years ago had now been put to bed, and that he now only had eyes for another opportunity in the New Zealand one-day uniform.
"It doesn't keep me awake - it was a couple of years ago," he said. "I'm just looking forward to getting back out there and playing three or however many Chappell-Hadlee games against Australia.
"I've been out of the setup for a while and I want to get back in there quickly and find my feet, and hopefully start a brand new chapter of my career."
Tuffey's selection meant there was no room for tri-series campaigner Andre Adams or strike bowler Chris Martin, while Craig McMillan's retention extinguished the hopes of Chris Harris, the Marshall twins, and Nathan McCullum.
Bracewell yesterday tried to justify Tuffey's selection on the basis of form - preferring to concentrate on his economy rate of 4.54, rather than his six State Shield wickets at 69.50, or the better credentials of some of his rivals. Martin, for example, took 13 shield wickets at 24.53, while conceding a parsimonious 4.07 an over.
For all that, Tuffey has been a proven performer in the past for New Zealand, and it made sense to offer him another opportunity.
Adams, used against Sri Lanka and taken to the tri-series in Australia, where he was dropped at the midway point of the competition despite not playing a game, could be forgiven for feeling a little confused about Bracewell's consistency.
"We wanted a genuine replacement for Kyle Mills, which meant outswing bowling," Bracewell said yesterday. "Chris [Martin] and Andre [Adams] are more suited to the middle of the innings.
"We needed a new ball bowler who bowled outswing and that's what swayed it."
WORLD CUP SQUAD
Stephen Fleming (33 years old, 267 caps), Lou Vincent (28, 91), Ross Taylor (22, 15), Scott Styris (31,120), Craig McMillan (30, 184), Peter Fulton (28, 26), Jacob Oram (28, 92), Brendon McCullum (25, 101), Daniel Vettori (28, 189), James Franklin (26, 55), Shane Bond (31, 57), Mark Gillespie (27, 12), Jeetan Patel (26, 16), Michael Mason (32, 14), Daryl Tuffey (28, 76).
CUP SCHEDULE
March 16: v England, St Lucia
March 20: v Kenya, St Lucia
March 22: v Canada, St Lucia
March 27: Super Eight matches start
