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KEY POINTS:
To adopt a low-key approach or to fire the imagination in his players; that is New Zealand captain Dan Vettori's choice ahead of tomorrow night's fifth and deciding Chappell Hadlee ODI in Brisbane.
And although he says there is a fine balance between the two, he believes ramping
up the importance of the occasion is the better way to go.
While Vettori weighed up the job ahead, after giving away a 2-0 series lead with two losses in three days this week, rival captain Ricky Ponting was indulging in a spot of mind games.
Ponting opined that Brisbane would suit Australia better than pitches used earlier in the series, and wondered if that would test New Zealand's planning strategies.
"It's one of the best one-day wickets in the world," he said of the invariably seam-helpful, bouncy Gabba pitch block.
"That might make them think a bit more about their makeup. Their experiment of not playing two spinners and playing an extra batter in Adelaide probably didn't work for them.
"Going to Brisbane where the pitch tends not to slow down as the game goes on might make them think about their selection."
In fact, New Zealand's hand is restricted to omitting one player from their 12. Neither young left arm swing bowler Trent Boult nor Central Districts allrounder Brendon Diamanti will get an opportunity, which leaves Vettori and coach Andy Moles a simple choice: do they stick with Craig Cumming in the hope of bolstering the batting, but leave themselves the bare five bowlers, or bring back offspinner Jeetan Patel.
The twin-spin alternative is likely to prevail. The luckless Cumming, batting lower in the order than is his preference - and two places below where he made all his State Shield runs, with an accompanying average of 70.16 - got a duck in Adelaide and dropped a crucial catch in Australia's chasing down of 245 for four to square the series.
Vettori wants the occasion to help spur his players to regain the initiative they won at Perth and maintained at Melbourne only to squander in Sydney and Adelaide.
"Do you treat it as just another game or build it up and say how important it is," Vettori said.
"It is exciting and these are the games you play cricket for. It's like a World Cup or Champions Trophy final and we want to get excited about it.
"It is pretty important for us, We know it's important for the fans back home."
Vettori suffered a slight hamstring strain early in Australia's run chase at Adelaide on Tuesday night, but said it felt fine when he was bowling and expects no recurrence tomorrow.
And the skipper said it was up to the senior players to lead the way on what is likely to be an emotional night.
Australia's squad called in at Melbourne en route to Brisbane yesterday and visited one of the areas devastated by the bushfires this week.
Ponting talked about the impact events in Victoria had had on his players and they wanted to try to lend some moral support. It doesn't require a great leap of imagination to expect the Australian players to take an emotional surge from the trip yesterday.
However there is a significant injury worry for Australia with vice-captain Michael Clarke battling pain in his upper back. "It will all depend how he pulls up before the game," team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said. "He was quite sore going into the game in Adelaide but was determined to get through it, and there is a fair bit of pain today."
Clarke is due to lead Australia in the Twenty20 international in Sydney on Sunday.
