KEY POINTS:
Daniel Vettori spoke as a captain but sounded like a bowler.
He has put the heat on New Zealand's batsmen to lift their game ahead of the twin home series against Bangladesh and England.
Having presided over disappointing tours of South Africa and Australia, left arm spinner Vettori maintains it's time to harden up.
"Bangladesh obviously are not as difficult as Australia, but we've also got a tough England team at home," he said.
"If we're going to compete and win against them, then we've got to take a lot of notes from what Australia have done [in the Chappell Hadlee Trophy]."
Bangladesh's record in test cricket is woeful, one win and 43 losses from 49 matches. But they're learning in the one-day game and have had a handful of days to really savour, notably beating Australia by five wickets at Cardiff two years ago.
But Vettori wants a convincing pair of series wins over Bangladesh in the ODIs and tests to move New Zealand into sound shape ahead of the England visit. Nothing less will be acceptable and his players need to take a hard look at themselves.
"There's not more pressure than playing in Australia, but the pressure is on the guys to step up and perform," he said.
"If they think their performances here [in Australia] will lead to performances against Bangladesh they've got another think coming."
He hoped the incentive of getting selected for the England series, in what Vettori calls one of the big series in players' careers, would provide an extra spur.
There should be a qualifying clause in New Zealand's poor return from the South African leg of a lengthy trip.
They had significant buildup to allow batsmen time to get their feet moving, and bowlers a chance to find their lines.
Even so, the test batting numbers make grim reading: four completed totals of 118, 172, 188 and 136; a solitary half century from Stephen Fleming.
Indeed, New Zealand reached 250 only once in the space of four test innings in South Africa and five ODIs in both countries - although their solitary international win at Port Elizabeth had them batting second and chasing 210.
That's simply not good enough and Vettori fingered the batsmen for special attention.
"Generally batsmen win a lot of one-day games and put you in a position to win tests," he said.
"Sheer weight of runs puts pressure on people, something we haven't been able to consistently do.
"It just leads you into situations where it's tough to push for a win and get into position for our bowlers - and I think we've got a good group of bowlers when everybody is here - to have a chance to win the game."
Not that the bowlers entirely got off scot-free in Vettori's book when he looked back at the mess in the deciding trophy game in Hobart on Thursday.
When Australia were 87 for three, New Zealand were right in the contest. But Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds ripped the game away with a run-a-ball 114-run fourth wicket stand.
Plans were in place, particularly for Symonds, "but basically the seamers went completely away from what they were meant to do. It took away all our momentum."
It is a captain's lament down the ages, and there's only one solution: stick to the instructions.
It left Vettori "hugely disappointed" that his players could not lift themselves for a final tilt at retaining the trophy and ending a poor tour on a genuine high.
Australia should have opened New Zealand's eyes. There was an urgency to their work - as Vettori put it "they seem to know what they've got to do on every occasion".
Starting on Boxing Day, New Zealand need to be on the front foot, sharp in mind and movement.
Vettori doesn't want to contemplate a loss to Bangladesh. With due respect, it shouldn't happen, but if it does, think cats and pigeons.
