Cricket: Grumpy Fleming gives his team-mates a blast

Stephen Fleming

New Zealand can partially thank a grumpy captain for their commanding position at the end of the first day of the second test.

According to Chris Martin - the home side's most successful bowler - his side started to work as a combination only after an animated dressing-down by skipper Stephen Fleming early in the first session.

Having won the toss and deciding to bowl, Fleming was left fuming after James Franklin gave up 17 runs off his first two overs, raising fears of another missed opportunity in New Zealand's last international of the season.

Martin, who had already announced his readiness for the fight with a couple of late inswingers and the wicket of Marvan Atapattu, said that Fleming's no-holds-barred criticism made a mark on the team, possibly because it was so unusual.

"He gave us a bit of a bollocking actually," he said.

"They were scoring early on off a few freebies that we were serving up; the wickets we had taken weren't due to pressure as such; and as a group we weren't quite holding it together.

"But I think after that serve we pulled it back.

"Kyle [Mills] and I bowled well in partnership and managed to get them five down at lunch, which was a pretty good result."

Martin said he had felt the sharp edge of Fleming's tongue during a couple of previous one-on-ones.

But he said he fully understood why the captain was desperate for the side to harness the conditions and build on the early breakthrough.

"He [Fleming] does that now and then.

"But when he does it tends to resonate more - maybe because of the fact that he does it so sparingly.

"It definitely woke us up and made us understand that this was a very important window of opportunity, and that we had to take it.

"So at 65 for five at lunch I think we were quite happy."

The Canterbury right-armer said it was hard to explain why a bowling attack would struggle when all conditions and circumstances were in their favour.

But he suspected that old chestnuts such as impatience and expectations were to blame.

"We had all felt a little on edge," he said. "We knew we had to use the conditions well and we were trying a little too hard."