By RICHARD BOOCK
BRISBANE - Dion Nash's dream of playing a test match against Australia will be realised at the Gabba today.
The feisty New Zealand seamer was last night named in the team for the first test of the three-match series, ending one of the more unusual droughts in international cricket.
Although the 29-year-old has impressed against most countries in his 31-test career, he has been sidelined through injury for all nine transtasman showdowns since making his debut in 1992, and has played one test match in two years.
Nash suffered an abdominal strain in the match against a Queensland President's XI and had been in doubt until yesterday's fitness test.
His inclusion means New Zealand will field a side containing himself, Daniel Vettori and Chris Cairns for the first time since the 1999 Boxing Day test against the West Indies, when the hosts beat Brian Lara's tourists by an innings and 105 runs.
It also means the New Zealand bowling attack will carry an air of fragility, because all three will be playing their first test for more than a year.
Vettori aggravated his back complaint 14 months ago in Bulawayo.
Nash and Cairns lasted just a week longer, breaking down during the second test at Harare.
New Zealand manager Jeff Crowe said he was confident their presence would give his side the best chance of challenging the might of the Australian team.
Opposition captain Steve Waugh was another impressed by the New Zealand line-up, saying it was a capable side and that the inclusion of Nash would underline the competitiveness of the combination.
"He's a good competitor," said Waugh. "He means a lot to New Zealand cricket, he epitomises the attitude they look for and he's very competitive - the other guys feed off him. He's a very important player for New Zealand but he hasn't played a lot of test match cricket lately so he'll be under pressure."
Only hours before thunderstorms began changing the complexion of the opening test, Waugh was promising that his side would live up to their world championship status today, whether they were in the field or batting.
Mindful of the poor start his side made against New Zealand the last time they met in Brisbane, Waugh said there was an emphasis on making a strong beginning to the summer when the test series started and particular attention needed to be paid to the first session.
More chillingly, he warned that Australia would seek to justify their No 1 status by recapturing the intensity and consistency that last season led to a world-record 16 consecutive wins and a seventh-successive Ashes series triumph.
"It's all about setting standards and maintaining standards," Waugh said. "It's good. It keeps us on our toes and the guys have seen that if their form is off-song, then there's a queue of players lining up to take their place.
"So that keeps everyone training hard and working at their standards. People see us as the No 1 side and we enjoy that status - we want to stay there."
The Gabba had promised to be reasonably flat and batsman-friendly during the lead-up to the test, but last night's deluge was expected to have freshened up the pitch and increased the humidity levels, enabling more assistance for the fast bowlers.
Lou Vincent will be the twelfth man for New Zealand and seamer Andrew Bichel is expected to carry the drinks for Australia.
Teams:
New Zealand: Stephen Fleming (captain), Mark Richardson, Matthew Bell, Mathew Sinclair, Nathan Astle, Craig McMillan, Chris Cairns, Adam Parore, Dion Nash, Daniel Vettori, Shayne O'Connor, Lou Vincent.
Australia: Steve Waugh (captain), Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh, Damien Martyn, Adam Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Glenn McGrath, Andrew Bichel.
Cricket: Nash fulfils long-held dream
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