Cricket: Marshall already knows the score for next test match

Spare a thought for Hamish Marshall as New Zealand begin preparations for the third and final test against the West Indies.

As if public pressure was not acute enough after averaging 12.66 so far as an experimental opener, Marshall has now been told by coach John Bracewell to score heavily in the series swansong, starting at Napier on Saturday, or else.

The little right-hander scored two centuries at home last summer at No 3 but has struggled to make the adjustment to the opening position, and was apparently retained for the upcoming test on the strength of his unbeaten 23 at Wellington.

The opening position has proved a poisoned chalice for most contenders over the past decade, and Marshall now faces the prospect of either succeeding at McLean Park, or going the same way as the likes of Matthew Bell, Lou Vincent and Mathew Sinclair.

The 27-year-old right-hander was left in no doubt over his vulnerability when Bracewell said this week he had to "do well" in the final test, to seal a berth on the subsequent tour of South Africa. New Zealand head to the Republic soon after the Napier match to play three tests at Centurion, Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Asked yesterday how he felt about being exposed publicly to such pressure, Marshall said he wasn't fazed by the situation.

"There's been pressure on me for the last six months," he said. "At the end of the day you just have to go out there and bat and try to get some runs.

"If you're not scoring many then there's always going to be people commenting on your game and the selection issue will always come up as well; that's just the reality of cricket and sport.

"I just have to go out and hopefully get some runs, and if things go my way hopefully I can hang in there and make a decent knock of it."

Marshall, who scored a magnificent 146 against Australia last March, added a 160 against Sri Lanka at McLean Park a month later, and is understandably looking forward to re-acquainting himself with the ground.

He said the plan was to maintain the approach that worked reasonably well in the second innings at Wellington, when his pleasant little cameo steered New Zealand to a 10-wicket win.

"I'm still getting use to the mindset of opening, and instead of being so defensive in terms of survival I just have to go out there and play my shots. If there's a bad ball I need to hit it, rather than defend it."

Last season's Batsman of the Year conceded he was still learning about the basics of the position.

"It's a new role and I'm still getting the feel for it," he said. "I was probably a little tentative in the way I approached it, but in the second innings in Wellington I thought 'what the heck' and just played the bad ball.

"I like to play certain shots, but it hasn't worked out for me so it felt good to get through that second innings."