KEY POINTS:
Melbourne - An extra fielding session under the Melbourne Cricket Ground lights this week is on the menu as New Zealand try to rectify the current worst facet of their game.
Having undergone a batting resurgence with the arrivals of Lou Vincent and Jacob Oram, and developed impressive bowling depth during the tri-series, fielding -- which used to be New Zealand's main strength -- is now their biggest headache.
Coach John Bracewell counted seven dropped catches in their otherwise encouraging double-header in Perth when they scored 335 and lost narrowly to Australia, then safely dispatched England after racking up 318.
Catching has arguably cost them two victories over Australia so far this summer, in Sydney and Perth.
"I don't think it's any reason to panic," Bracewell insisted as they prepare to face Australia here on Sunday.
"Each guy who dropped a catch realised the damage it can cause and all of those guys will be working on specific things."
Three of New Zealand's last four matches have been tempered by cases of the dropsies, either side of a near flawless display against England in Adelaide when they held all eight catches offered.
Bracewell noted all three sides struggled under the WACA ground lights in the past week, even the hosts who are the fielding benchmark for all teams.
"I'm not quite sure what it was, but three teams dropped catches.
"The Australians missed six and we missed seven over two games, and the English didn't fare any better. It may be a sighting issue, or it could be one of those things."
The most costly blunders occurred under bright sunshine last Sunday, when eventual century-maker Matthew Hayden was shelled on nought and four by two excellent fielders, Daniel Vettori and Ross Taylor.
The irony for Bracewell was that New Zealand had recently honed their fielding systems and given players more specialised training in smaller groups.
Peter Fulton, for example, was clearly defined as a second slip or close catcher for the first 10-15 overs, then a boundary sweeper for the rest of the innings, and was training accordingly.
"We may need to have a night fielding session and just get used to the lights again. It's been a long time since we've fielded under lights. We did that in India, we fielded in dewy conditions," Bracewell said.
"Two games ago we did field brilliantly. In Adelaide we did field ourselves into a winning position. That allowed our bowlers the confidence to pile the pressure on.
"Our fielders set the standard, and that energy is something we really want to harness. While there's concern with the dropped catches, I'm still happy with the rhythms of our fielding team."
- NZPA
