Cricket: Fleming eyes end to tour frustration

1.00pm - By MARK GEENTY

LEICESTER - Stephen Fleming is trying to kick out of his personal slump and lift his "flat" New Zealand cricket team off the canvas starting tonight (NZ time).

The tourists take on an understrength Leicestershire in a four-day tour match, fresh from their seven-wicket loss to England in the first test at Lord's on Monday.

Fleming said the team were still hurting after playing much of the test in front, then suffering a middle order collapse on day four and not bowling well enough on the final day.

"Things have been pretty flat, even practice today was pretty flat. That's why it's good the game is now and we've got a week to work through it and get back into the rhythms of a tour," Fleming said after training at the Grace Road ground.

"It's important to acknowledge that you feel flat and disappointed after a test because it does hurt. In time that provides the motivation as we get up to Leeds (for next Thursday's second test)."

For Fleming there are personal issues too as he opens the batting with Michael Papps as New Zealand's Lord's hero Mark Richardson takes a rest.

Fleming's hip flexor strain has seen his England tour remain largely in neutral -- just three innings for 23 against Worcestershire then 34 and four at Lord's.

The injury isn't going away and Fleming admitted it was playing on him.

"It has set me back in terms of batting time. One of the advantages of an England tour is you get a lot of batting. The weather, then not playing two warmup games, I did feel a bit underdone.

"That's why this game is important, just to get the tempo and the pace of getting a rhythm in the middle.

"It (the injury) is not bad and I'll get through. I've got enough in me to get through the test series then monitor it from there. It's still around, it's annoying but it's one of the things about touring and playing a lot of cricket."

Richardson will be joined on the sidelines by Shane Bond, Jacob Oram and Daryl Tuffey, giving Papps and paceman Kyle Mills their chance to push for test selection and Otago wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins a chance to fill in for Brendon McCullum who plays as a batsman.

Bond was today given a cautious all clear from a recurrence of his back stress fracture, was put on anti-inflammatories and will be back training at the weekend with a view to the one-day series.

The match is important for batsmen Scott Styris and Craig McMillan to regain some confidence after dual failures at Lord's while paceman Chris Martin will look to regain some snap in his action after appearing to lose some pace at Lord's.

"It's pretty simple. You look back to the test and we were 90 per cent in the game. It's that 10 per cent we're looking to improve on," Fleming said.

"I've said that for most of the summer at home, the 10 per cent's holding us up big time.

"That's get the batsmen in form and the likes of Kyle Mills, get them underway. It's just the maidens, the half-chances and make sure they become habitual."

Leicestershire meanwhile, currently the bottom side in the country, have rested former test paceman Phil De Freitas, West Indian paceman Ottis Gibson and in-form Australian batsman Brad Hodge.

They will be captained by opener Darren Maddy who played for England against New Zealand in 1999.

New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (captain), Michael Papps, Nathan Astle, Scott Styris, Craig McMillan, Brendon McCullum, Chris Cairns, Gareth Hopkins, Daniel Vettori, Kyle Mills, Chris Martin.

- NZPA