KEY POINTS:
After gently jiving to reggae legends Jimmy Cliff and the late Bob Marley, New Zealand's cricketers have put the World Cup's opening ceremony behind them as they seek their own irresistible rhythm.
The Black Caps enjoyed the last of the pre-tournament formalities at Jamaica's Montego Bay last night - absorbing the three-hour $2.9 million spectacular before retiring to their hotel ahead of a travel day today to their pool base in the East Caribbean.
While the ceremonial march-past was a highlight for the 15-man squad and management, it was old hat for Stephen Fleming.
The skipper, now at his fourth World Cup, said the 3 hour charter flight south - and Saturday's opening clash with fellow group C heavyweights England - could not come soon enough.
"We need to get settled. Everyone's pretty anxious, we just want to start playing. There's a bit of 'bring it on'."
Fleming admitted it had been tricky for the team to stay focused this week, knowing the major obstacle at Beausejour Stadium was drawing ever closer.
He conceded the past week was a nagging reminder of his sides' worrying inconsistency - with an unprecedented loss to Bangladesh followed by an efficient win over Sri Lanka, a team widely picked to make the semifinals.
"What it does show is we can't afford to have a good week here and there - we have to be on song for two months and that's always been a challenge for this side."
Fleming cautiously hoped the 18-run victory over Sri Lanka, after being put into bat in bowler-friendly conditions, was a sign of good things to come.
That success against a side that shared the test and one-day spoils on New Zealand soil in January gave the Black Caps a welcome boost after the post Chappell-Hadlee series reality check provided by the Bangladeshis.
"It's almost ... you have to come down a little bit to come back - and the Bangladesh loss did that," Fleming explained.
"If we hadn't bounced back and beat Sri Lanka, who are close to [cup] favourites, I'd be concerned, but we did so I'm looking forward [to England].
"Bangladesh stung us but in some ways it could be a good thing. The performance against Sri Lanka with the bat was outstanding.
"We wanted to bowl, there was assistance in the pitch for them and we got through nicely, exactly how we discussed."
New Zealand knuckled down to post 285 for eight - with Lou Vincent (70), Fleming (65) and Peter Fulton (59) giving the innings a solid spine.
In another positive, 64 runs were scored from spinner Muttiah Muralitharan's 10 overs.
Fulton, who broke the little finger on his left hand when catching dangerman Kumar Sangakkara during Saturday's final hit-out, was optimistic he would be available for selection in a congested top order.
"It's a question of if I can hold a bat and put up with the discomfort," he said. "It's the first one I've actually broken so I don't really know what to expect."
Fulton could consult teammate Jacob Oram for an insight as the allrounder continues to make a trouble-free recovery from his fourth finger problem - a fractured ring finger, also on his left hand.
Both injuries were caused when they attempted to catch reverse cup with their hands pointing upwards.
Fulton admitted that trend was "a bit of a concern" but pointed out at least his catch and Oram's removal of Australian Mitchell Johnson in the first Chappell-Hadlee victory were taken.
Fielding pain aside, Fulton was happy to continue a scoring momentum that has yielded him three half-centuries in his last three innings. He is vying for a berth with Craig McMillan or Scott Styris.
- NZPA
