Cricket: NZ team's chances written down

By Richard Boock

The New Zealand cricketers thought they were the flavour of the month for a moment yesterday when they arrived in London to find a mob of reporters rushing towards them ... and then past them.

As it happened, they were heading for the South Africans.

The World Cup favourites - who arrived on the same flight as New Zealand - were questioned long and hard by the British press regarding their favouritism, strategy and the cut of their blazers, after which Stephen Fleming was asked whether he thought the Kiwis were "capable of the odd upset."

"I'd like to think we're capable of a bit more than that," replied the slightly miffed Fleming, who has never been one to downplay New Zealand's achievements or potential.

The only other line of questioning apparently involved his opinion of the South Africans, and he duly satisfied the throng by declaring the Proteas a "terribly difficult side to play against, because of their range of options."

The New Zealanders woke up in Southampton last night (NZ time) after a one-and-a-half hour bus trip from London, and were scheduled to practise in the afternoon in the countdown to their first warm-up match, against Hampshire on Sunday (NZ time).

Manager John Graham said last night the reaction to New Zealand's arrival was in keeping with the British media's reaction to their chances in the competition.

"They simply don't give us a chance, and the nature of their questions when we arrived confirmed that. We're not unhappy about that though. It's a perfect position to be in at the start of this sort of tournament."

One of the most amusing incidents of British-based journalists making rash predictions was when the-then Wisden Monthly editor, David Frith, offered to eat his hat if India won the World Cup in 1983.

India ended up winning the final, Frith his words (but not his hat), and the world one-day championship was never again seen as a three-horse race between the West Indies, England and Australia.

Graham said the selectors would almost certainly give everyone a game in the three warm-up matches - the others are against Surrey at The Oval and Sussex at Hove - but were likely to look to their strongest line-up on Sunday.

"The weather's tremendous right now - it was 22 deg C yesterday; everyone's travelled very well and have come through the trip as well as can be expected," he said.

"I'd imagine in another 24 hours the jet-lag effect will be over.

"There's quite an atmosphere around about the tournament but the attention's on other teams, and, in terms of our preparation, that suits us down to the ground."