Cricket: Fleming joins list of victims

Stephen Fleming's name was yesterday added to a long list of opposition captains who have been turned into road kill by Australia's rampaging bowling attack.

Although the fog and drizzle saved New Zealand's bacon on the final day of the second test, there was still enough time for Glenn McGrath to deliver another crushing blow to Fleming, not to mention a major headache for coach John Bracewell.

Fleming, who now almost turns to salt at the sight of McGrath, fell to his fourth consecutive leg-before decision, leaving him with a plunging test average against Australia, and facing some serious questions about his opening duties.

Sent on his way for just one, Fleming's setback was exacerbated when Hamish Marshall perished in a similar manner two balls later, and when Lou Vincent departed immediately after lunch as Michael Kasprowicz's 100th test victim, New Zealand were 37 for three.

However, Wellington's weather achieved what few of the New Zealand top-order batsmen could manage when it closed in around the Basin Reserve, forcing the players from the field, and the eventual abandonment at 3.30pm.

The series might still be salvageable for New Zealand, but Fleming's reputation as a threat to Australia has already been torn to ribbons, continuing a series of spectacular failures from opposition skippers.

Some of the most notable crash-landings have come from West Indian Jimmy Adams, England's Nasser Hussain, India's Sachin Tendulkar and Pakistan's Wasim Akram, and this summer's offerings - Pakistan Inzamam ul-Haq and Fleming.

Fleming has now been dismissed eight times by McGrath in 25 innings against Australia, during which time he has averaged just 24.48, as opposed to his career average of 38.50.

To make matters worse, his four leg-before decisions have highlighted the return of an old technical bug on the front foot, and his past eight scores against Australia - 0, 1, 83, 3, 18, 17, 0, 1 - have left him feeling anxious and uncertain.

"Glenn's bowling well to me; he's got a pretty good idea of what he's trying to do, but I'm making it too easy for him," Fleming said yesterday. "It's no secret what he's doing - he probably wasted three balls on me today before he gave me the straight one.

"But I know what to do, I've been working extremely hard on grooving my technique and studying footage, and I'll get there, hopefully, in the next innings."

The debate likely to be raging this morning as the selectors gather to announce their side for the third test at Eden Park, starting on Saturday, is whether it's in the team's best interests to continue to open the batting with Fleming.

Usually a No 3 or No 4 batsman, Fleming took over the opening role in this series after the retirement of Mark Richardson and the head injury sustained by Michael Papps, and at the time expressed his satisfaction with the assignment.

He said yesterday that moving back down the order would be something for the selectors to decide, but that he was committed to the challenge and would continue to be until told of a change of plan.

"I'm certainly not going to put the white flag up," he said.

"I'm not going to shy away from Glenn McGrath."

Fleming's lbw series

First test

* leg-before to Shane Warne 18

* leg-before to Glenn McGrath 17

Second test

* leg-before to McGrath 0

* leg-before to McGrath 1