KEY POINTS:
If you listened hard yesterday, John Bracewell sounded a touch like Blackadder's faithful sidekick Baldrick as he sought ways to combat Australia's hostile pace in the Chappell-Hadlee series, which starts tomorrow.
Actually he probably felt it was a case of two out of three ain't bad when Australia gave New Zealand a 54-run hiding in their Twenty20 international at Perth's Waca on Tuesday night, and with some justification.
New Zealand fielded out of their skins, bowled pretty usefully for much of the Australian innings, but the batting was chopped up by the extreme pace of Brett Lee and Shaun Tait.
At 69 for eight, New Zealand were toast chasing Australia's 186 for six, before Jacob Oram launched some hefty, but ultimately futile late blows in a 31-ball unbeaten 66.
Bracewell didn't specifically use Baldrick's favourite "cunning plan", but he did have "strategies" in mind to counter Australia's new ball ferocity during the ODI series.
"We have now seen how Australia are going to come at us, and we will put in place strategies to try and counter that, and take advantage of that," he said. It will be interesting to see them.
Lee rocked New Zealand early, dismissing Lou Vincent first ball and Brendon McCullum soon after, before Tait - who rejoices in the moniker "Wild Thing" - took over, blitzing Jamie How and Ross Taylor in his first over.
Both bowlers cranked up the speed dial and New Zealand had no answer. They know what's going to happen at the Adelaide Oval tomorrow, and it won't be any flighted, fancy, spinning stuff. The Aussies are set on regaining the trophy they lost in - at least in their eyes - embarrassing fashion last season.
"I know people are going to talk about how fast they bowled, but you still have to bowl well, not just quick," New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori said yesterday.
He didn't offer much sympathy for his batsmen, just blunt, pragmatic advice.
"The guys just have to get used to that speed, used to the wickets and take it from there."
Australia have an injury concern with Andrew Symonds battling a niggling ankle injury he picked up late in the match at Perth.
Symonds took the game away from New Zealand with a sizzling unbeaten 85 off only 46 balls. Earlier in his career the dreadlocked Queenslander looked a boom or bust batsman but he's tightened his game, secured a test spot and played a tremendous innings combining thoughtful placement with the million-dollar blows.
New Zealand's bowlers, notably Kyle Mills and Jeetan Patel, did a fair job and were supported by New Zealand's best fielding effort in some time.
Patel's ripsnorting one-handed catch at backward point to remove Adam Gilchrist was the catalyst for a display loaded with urgency and smart handiwork.
But Australia scotched any notion of easing into the series by resting regular captain Ricky Ponting and top order bruiser Matthew Hayden.
"Every time we play it is fair dinkum," Australia's coach Tim Nielsen said.
And, with the International Olympic Committee longlisting cricket perhaps with the 2020 Games in mind, and Twenty20 the obvious format, Nielsen reinforced Australia's determination to add world supremacy in the newest form to their grip on the other two styles.
"The game is gaining momentum across the world," Nielsen said, adding that test cricket could be the big beneficiary. "It will mean the players are continually looking for ways to improve their game, to adjust to the faster tempo and that will have spinoffs. It could mean test cricket will become more exciting as they will take those skills into all forms of the game."
