Cricket: Radical switch at World series

No one should have any complaints about being surprised by the pitches for the upcoming World XI series.

In a departure from International Cricket Council regulations, New Zealand and the combined side will be allowed to practise on the match surface the day before each limited overs showdown at Christchurch, Wellington and Hamilton.

The previously unheard of provision will provide up to 60 minutes of practice for each team, in the hope that the extra exposure will counter one of the game's biggest problems, and take the early sting out of the surfaces.

In terms of international cricket, the move comes as a radical concept, as match pitches usually remain in the control of the ground curator until the start of play, and are off limits to players.

But the ICC decision against giving the matches full ODI status has provided an experimental window for NZC, who received stinging criticism for preparing bowler-friendly pitches against India two years ago.

The Herald understands NZC struck a deal with the FICA World XI over the new practice conditions in the hope of finding a solution to the problem of ODIs being effectively decided in the first 20 overs.

The pitches for both series at home last summer favoured the side bowling first, and New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming expressed his annoyance in India in late 2003 after all the day games started on dew-laden surfaces.

That was the tour in which Fleming's side were bowled out for 97 by Australia at Faridabad - all in the space of 33.4 overs.

The trend continued in the Boxing Day ODI against Sri Lanka at Auckland, the tourists being bundled out for 141 before losing the series opener by seven wickets.

Fleming said last night he was relaxed with the idea but was still interested in seeing how it would be put into practice.

"People are obviously working hard on solutions and if this is going to make a better contest I'm all for it."

His only reservation was the need to manage the state of the pitch and keep it in good order for the start of the match-proper the following day.

The experimental move is expected to raise some eyebrows among the game's purists, as it will mean more work for the respective curators, and will allow players to familiarise themselves with the pitch characteristics - therefore reducing the challenge.

On the other hand, some would argue the ODI game lives and dies on a fair and equal playing field, and could only be improved by measures to neutralise the pitch surface.

The issue was highlighted late last month by Herald cricket columnist Adam Parore, who called for New Zealand's ODI match balls to be tailored more specifically to local conditions, and made with less pronounced seams.

Meanwhile, Fleming is not worried that the series will be turned into a festival affair by its charitable and fund-raising aspects, rather than a full-on cricket contest.

"No, that won't happen because the players won't allow it to," he said. "The importance of the series is very clear to us - we need a tough match-play play before Australia arrive, so we'll be working very hard.

"It's crucial we keep our structure and shape and treat these games like fully fledged ODIs."