Cricket: Slow's the way to win - Styris

Scott Styris says there is nothing wrong with playing on the country's typically "slowish" surfaces. Picture / Brett Phibbs

Don't bother talking to Scott Styris about playing Australia on hard and fast pitches.

The New Zealand all-rounder left no one wondering yesterday when he appealed to the country's groundsmen to prepare featherbed surfaces for the upcoming one-day and test series.

The eagerly awaited tour starts at Eden Park tonight with a Twenty20 contest, after which the teams go to Wellington for the first match of the one-day international series on Saturday.

Styris made it clear that he was no fan of New Zealand Cricket's attempts to produce hard and fast pitches nationwide, saying there was nothing wrong with playing on the country's typically "slowish" surfaces.

"If the wickets are like the ones we had for South Africa last summer then I think we're a chance because they'll be a lot slower," he said yesterday.

"The Australians are more used to quicker and bouncier surfaces, and that could work in our favour."

His comments are likely to strike a chord at NZC, which has tried to produce quicker pitches in the belief that they will produce quality batting and bowling.

The last straw for Styris was when the 2002-03 India visit was virtually ruined by spectacular green-tops at Hamilton and Wellington, and throughout the subsequent one-day series.

"I don't want to see us going back to the pitches that we played India on a few years ago. That was ridiculous in my mind," he said.

"We still want fair and good wickets, but if they were a touch on the slow side that would suit us fine."

New Zealand have a proud record at home against allcomers, and Styris said the team were anxious to begin on the right foot at Eden Park tonight, even it was an abbreviated 20-over shoot-out.

New Zealand are the No 2-ranked one-day side in the world - behind Australia - and the most successful team in one-day cricket over the past 12 months.

Styris said it was imperative to maintain the initiative against Australia.

"We're treating it as a serious international. We want to get the momentum going against these guys from the outset, from the first time we confront them, and that means the Twenty20 match.

"We want to get an upper hand if we can, and particularly in the ODI arena, where if you get on a roll it's very hard to stop."

Daniel Vettori will be rested for tonight's match.

Vettori said it was a precautionary move to give him a rest before the intensity of 50-over and test cricket.

"It probably had more to do with the fact that I was going to bowl four overs of near-medium pace and get slogged all over the park, which isn't the ideal preparation for an ODI series," he said.

"I'm confident about the future, confident about getting through all five one-dayers and the rest of the summer and I guess missing this game is all part of that process."

Twenty20

* Tonight at Eden Park
* Live on Sky Sport 1 from 7pm

Australia:
Ricky Ponting (c), Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn, Andrew Symonds, Michael Clarke, Simon Katich, Mike Hussey, James Hopes, Brad Hogg, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz, Glenn McGrath.

New Zealand:
Stephen Fleming (c), Nathan Astle, Mathew Sinclair, Scott Styris, Craig McMillan, Hamish Marshall, Chris Cairns, Brendon McCullum, Jeff Wilson, Andre Adams, Kyle Mills, Daryl Tuffey.