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ADELAIDE - Captain Daniel Vettori's vow to carry more workload to ease the transition for incoming New Zealand cricket coach Andy Moles should get an early test at the Adelaide Oval.
Vettori welcomed Moles' appointment yesterday, with the Englishman set to take over from John Bracewell late next week ahead of the first test against West Indies in Dunedin on December 11.
First things first for Vettori and Bracewell who are eyeing the imposing task of upsetting the home side on the flattest pitch in Australia to level the two-test series 1-1 on Friday.
The tourists trained at the Adelaide Oval for the first time yesterday, with the two net practice hints for team selection being batsman Peter Fulton's inclusion for Grant Elliott, while opener and legspinner Aaron Redmond could be used as Vettori's backup slow bowler to allow three pacemen to play - depending on the conditions on day one.
That would mean bad news for offspinner Jeetan Patel, who is a luxury the team perhaps can't afford without injured allrounder Jacob Oram to balance the side.
Vettori will therefore wheel down plenty of overs - four years ago he took five for 152 off 55 in the first innings here - as he mulls over the prospect of a coach switch after the second test.
If they lose here, it will drop New Zealand behind the West Indies to eighth in the world rankings.
He backed the former Warwickshire opener Moles, who guided Vettori's Northern Districts to the State Championship title in his first season 2006-07, to hit the ground running.
"Guys chop and change coaches a lot with domestic stuff, and Indian Premier League (IPL) and county cricket, so they should be used to it and hopefully he makes an instant impression," Vettori said.
"It's my responsibility to take on a greater workload just while Andy's settling in and get him through those initial stages.
"He's coached for a long time and coached international sides so he knows how to do it. I don't think it'll be daunting for him but he'll lean towards me a lot because we know each other pretty well.
"I don't see myself taking on more of a role at trainings, just making sure that transition period is as smooth as possible, and that is by performing on the park, so we can't let this short turnaround be an excuse for a performance."
Vettori rated Moles "a good fella" with a wealth of county experience as an opening batsman whose batting coaching was his big strength.
He hoped Moles wasn't viewed as second-best, with New South Wales' Matthew Mott widely known to be New Zealand Cricket's top choice before he opted to stay with NSW on Sunday.
Vettori also said he'd be sad to farewell Bracewell who he credited with lifting his game to the best level of his career.
Bracewell, who will rejoin Gloucestershire after his contract was cut short by four months by mutual consent with NZC, wasn't commenting yesterday but was straight back to the nets as his team look to bounce back from a 149-run defeat.
His main role was wheeling down his offspinners to try and replicate the action of Australian spinner Jason Krejza who is set to play his first home test, and who the New Zealand batsmen have never faced.
- NZPA
