KEY POINTS:
PERTH - A much-needed win under his belt, New Zealand cricket coach John Bracewell will this week get down to the serious business of sorting out the team's batting.
Bracewell and his Black Caps arrived in Perth yesterday and the coach immediately gave them today off training after
dispatching England by 90 runs in Adelaide.
They don't play again until Sunday against Australia at the WACA ground here after the hosts try to compound England's misery on Australia Day in Adelaide tomorrow.
Bracewell cut a relaxed figure at the team's plush central city hotel yesterday as he dissected yesterday's breakthrough win with mixed feelings.
The former test offspinner was overjoyed at the bowling and fielding performance, with all the squad's bowlers having now put their hands up at different times to create a healthy depth if injuries strike.
But the batting, anchored by the out-of-form veteran duo Stephen Fleming and Nathan Astle, again failed to deliver a platform and it was left to man of the match Jacob Oram and Brendon McCullum to rescue them to 210.
Fleming has scored 29, 12, 12 and 20 but looked scratchier by the day while Astle has scored nought, 45, nought and one.
Bracewell said the trickier-than-expected pitches in Hobart, Sydney and Adelaide had played a part and he was happy to give his senior men time to recover.
"I'm not really concerned because I think form turns itself around eventually, and they have too much experience not to turn it around. It's not really a concern between now and the World Cup," he said.
"They're both practicing really well and not searching as they often do when they're out of form. They're having a good deal of faith in the things they're doing, so I think it'll turn around for them and when Nathan's like that it generally turns around quickly.
"I haven't seen Stephen in this sort of slump for a while and he generally turns it around reasonably quickly as well. I'm confident if we persevere they'll come through it. They have too much experience not to. "
Bracewell said he would keep faith with the batsmen he had for now, with the previously injured Scott Styris a potential new arrival in Melbourne in time for the last two round-robin matches.
Getting his batsmen in match situations at training, and rotation of the strike, was the key focus this week.
"It's a good balanced batting lineup, it just needs a bit more confidence and form.
"If you're trying to preserve your wicket or get a score you sometimes forget about the total package.
"The stats bear that out, we're not getting enough ones. Our ones percentage to dot balls is increasing and we need to shut that down. "
Bracewell's biggest concern with the bowlers was keeping them all fit and healthy, and able to back up in two matches within three days.
He said returned paceman Shane Bond was likely to play just once in the Perth double-header, probably against Australia on Sunday with the pitch at its freshest. He expected the WACA surface to play low and slow, and favour the spinners more and more.
Bond came through yesterday's match encouragingly, taking his 100th and 101st wickets in just his 54th one-day international.
It means Michael Mason might return against England on Tuesday while Kyle Mills, who made a measured recovery from a knee problem, will likely return in one of the Perth matches.
- NZPA
