KEY POINTS:
Two innings from the summer of cricket illustrate the contrasting emotions the Black Caps promise to elicit at this month's World Cup in the Caribbean.
First came dejection as Stephen Fleming's 149-ball, 106 against England at the Gabba on Waitangi Day failed to carry New Zealand into the Commonwealth Bank Tri-Series final against Australia.
But two weeks later there was elation -- Brendon McCullum punching the Hamilton air with delight after the Black Caps surged to victory over Australia, chasing down 346 to win.
Those snapshots sum up the roller coaster ride that is likely to represent life as a New Zealand cricketer or fan over the next six weeks or so in the West Indies.
The question is which emotion will be over-riding when the Black Caps' ninth quest for the one-day Holy Grail ends, ideally at Bridgetown's Kensington Oval on April 28.
Who can tell, when the Black Caps can fold for 73 against Sri Lanka one evening, then plunder 337 from world champions Australia on same Eden Park ground six weeks later?
The New Zealand form guide, starting with the ICC Champions Trophy in India last October, reads played 19, won nine, lost 10.
But three of those wins were gleaned off world champions Australia in the recent Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, in a series clean sweep that prompted in soaring self belief.
An unprecedented whitewash of the undermanned Aussies provided the ideal springboard for the Caribbean.
It was a release in pressure at the sharp end of a season blighted by top order batting implosions, criticism of Fleming's captaincy, the surprise retirement of Nathan Astle and conjecture over coach John Bracewell's selection policy.
Critics questioned the wisdom of resting an out-of-touch Fleming from the first three matches against Sri Lanka, batting Daniel Vettori as high as five and giving McCullum another crack at opening.
None of those experiments worked, yet Bracewell can justifiably claim his masterplan seems to have come to fruition.
"You can say it's planned or fortuitous really," the coach said on the eve of the squad's departure.
He has a point. The fragile batting line-up suddenly has a more reliable look about it with Ross Taylor growing in stature at No 3, Craig McMillan taking a new lease on life, Peter Fulton showing consistency and McCullum returning to No 7.
Ironically, the most significant improvement was at the top of the order, where Astle's retirement midway through the Tri-Series was seamlessly filled by Lou Vincent.
Fulton, Scott Styris and McMillan will be tussling for a middle order berth when Jacob Oram returns from a finger injury, and the bowling stocks also appear more balanced than previous Cup campaigns.
Mark Gillespie has emerged to rival Shane Bond's express pace, Bracewell has a battery of military medium pacers at his disposal on what are expected to be slow decks while Daniel Vettori and Jeetan Patel provide a two-pronged spin attack.
That the injury-cursed Bond and Vettori made it to the plane was a notable victory for Bracewell.
"The most rewarding thing for me is we've only lost one player (Kyle Mills) through injury.
"We've managed our key performers through to this point. To get them on the tour, particularly with our history is significant."
He doesn't need look far to see a team in a worse predicament. Australia is nursing Andrew Symonds while coping with the loss of Brett Lee.
Pakistan's campaign is on the brink of derailment after allrounder Abdul Razzaq plus drugs-tainted pacemen Shoaib Akhtar Mohammad Asif were ruled out by injury.
Meanwhile, New Zealand's focus is squarely on an English side boosted by the return of the hard-hitting Kevin Pietersen.
Though both sides will, barring disasters against Kenya and Canada, progress to the Super Eight stage the March 16 pool C meeting at St Lucia has plenty riding it, with the winner carrying over points to the second stage.
If nothing else New Zealand have a point to prove after the Brisbane debacle on our national day.
- NZPA
