Cricket: Crowd support pleases Vettori

Australian seamer Mitchell Johnson has been copping plenty from the parochial Kiwi crowds. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand cricket captain Daniel Vettori isn't just pleased with how his team have stepped up in the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, but also how the crowds have, too.

Seddon Park is tipped to be a sellout for today's third one-day international against Australia after a combined 47,000 watched the two Twenty20 matches, along with healthy attendances in Napier and Auckland, the latter a full house with a reduced 13,500 capacity.

While cricketing crowds may have dwindled here in recent years, it has shown how Australia remain the No 1 drawcard and is a welcome filler of New Zealand Cricket's (NZC) coffers.

"It's created something different, we didn't see any of that during the Bangladesh series. For the most part it's been good for cricket," Vettori said.

"The crowds certainly step up when Australia are here, it's the series that all New Zealanders look forward to and I guess they get up for it as much as we get up for it."

Ever since a punter rolled a lawn bowl towards Australian skipper Greg Chappell at Eden Park in 1982 as thousands crammed in, the transtasman neighbours have captivated home crowds in one-day internationals.

On this tour it's perhaps been more contempt than captivation as Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting and Mitchell Johnson have been heckled, booed and subjected to endless chants of a certain six-letter word starting with `w'.

It also saw Australia request extra security for Johnson on the boundary in Auckland after his mid-pitch stoush with Scott Styris during the series opener in Napier.

The left-arm paceman responded with match-winning figures of four for 51, during which he turned to the crowd and kissed his Australian badge but resisted any kind of salute in their direction.

To date the crowds haven't stooped to the 2005 levels when Glenn McGrath had bottles hurled at him in Wellington.

But Australian coach Tim Nielsen said his side were happy to cop whatever was thrown at them - verbally anyway.

"We thrive on the fact that when we play at home it's nice to have the support of the home crowd and they get on the backs of the touring team. New Zealand have that advantage in that their crowd are parochial and they support them hard and support them well," Nielsen said.

"There's been no security breaches and on-field issues, it's just good old-fashioned fun.

"As long as it stays that way without crossing the line or getting too personal and too rude, that's what we're here for, to provide some entertainment."

NZC provided two security guards to escort Johnson off the field in Auckland but has not needed to step up off-field protection for the tourists.

The Australians travel with a minder in team issue kit who shadows the players to and from press conferences and sometimes when out in public.

- NZPA