Cricket: Fireworks promised for transtasman series

Pace bowler Shaun Tait reached speeds of 160km/h during Australia’s home summer. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand and Australia will eyeball each other for the first time tomorrow night hoping to draw a line in the sand ahead of the Twenty20 cricket World Cup in April.

The sides square off in the first Twenty20 international at Westpac Stadium (7pm NZT) to open Australia's five-week tour as New Zealand chase their first win over the transtasman rivals in their fourth meeting in the shortest form.

Australia won the previous clashes by 44 runs in Auckland in 2005, 54 runs in Perth in 2007 and just one run in Sydney a year ago when Brendon McCullum was chopped down by a brilliant Adam Voges boundary catch.

While transtasman bragging rights are always on the line, tomorrow provides a chance for World Cup hopefuls to secure their spots in the tournament in the Caribbean starting in April.

"It's big for the team if we can get good results against the Aussies then it bodes well for the Twenty20 team being picked for the World Cup. You want to help the team get across the line and get yourself in the World Cup squad," New Zealand allrounder James Franklin said.

Franklin was one of several fringe selections for the side ahead of Ian Butler, while Gareth Hopkins and Nathan McCullum were other Twenty20 specialists who will want solid performances in Wellington, then Christchurch on Sunday.

The war of words began in earnest on Australia's arrival yesterday, with coach Tim Nielsen taking umbrage at paceman Shane Bond's assertion the tourists had "a relatively easy run" in sweeping Pakistan and West Indies for their first unbeaten home summer since 2000-01.

Nielsen retorted: "We've had a pretty good run and I'm not sure who they (New Zealand) have been playing lately but they'd want to front up pretty well then, wouldn't they?"

Captained by Michael Clarke and spearheaded by big-hitting David Warner and 160km/h paceman Shaun Tait, Australia are on a three-match Twenty20 winning streak and vowing to keep that momentum here, having lost five in a row last year.

New Zealand's overall Twenty20 record is 13 wins from 31 matches, having tumbled out of last year's T20 World Cup in England after reaching the semifinals two years previously in South Africa.

Franklin said Australia were impressive at home in recent weeks but had lost the intimidation factor they used to have.

"The good thing for us is over the last few years we've played them annually. We're used to their combativeness and the way they play their cricket.

"They've got some individuals who've played some wonderful cricket so it's going to be hard, but I definitely think that we as individuals and a team can compete with them.

"It's been massive for us to get consistent cricket against Australia who've been the benchmark of world cricket. It's improved our cricket immensely."

The five-match Chappell-Hadlee Trophy series begins next Wednesday with the overall ledger at seven wins apiece.

- NZPA