David Leggat: Captain's lot more complicated than ever

A captain's plate is overflowing as it is; now they have the batting power play to get their heads around.

Used well it can be an important tool, the difference between winning and coming second.

Previously for the opening 15-over block only two fielders were allowed outside the 30 yard circle.

Two players had to be stationary catchers inside it and teams had to have a minimum of four fielders in the circle for the other 35 overs.

Now it's more complicated and captains could be excused for seeking a dark room and a soothing compress at the end of a stressful contest.

The first 10 overs are unchanged. Then each team has a five-over power play. In those overs, no more than three fielders are permitted outside the circle.

Bowling captains invariably call for their play asap, that is overs 11-15 - which rather negates the point of giving them an option - to get it out of the way.

Batting skippers tend to wait until the latter stages of the innings.

At Napier, in the first of the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy ODIs last week, both Australia and New Zealand opted for overs 45-49 for their batting plays.

At Eden Park last Saturday, Ricky Ponting repeated those numbers, but his counterpart Dan Vettori had a problem.

Rain cut New Zealand's overs back to 45, and they lost two power-play overs.

Ideally you want to take it when two batsmen are in and set. Vettori said he was about to call for it when Gareth Hopkins was out just when a promising stand was in progress.

Then again, he was about to make the call when Daryl Tuffey departed.

In the end, Vettori called for it at the start of the 42nd over. But he was last man out in 43.2 overs, 12 runs short of chasing down Australia's total, under Duckworth Lewis recalculations.

So New Zealand had missed out on four balls when Australia would have had to leave large tracts of the outer unpatrolled, not to forget the 45th over.

Vettori said later New Zealand "shot ourselves in the foot" over that.

But it could be argued, as he roared along to 70 in 49 balls, that he benefited from having the field well spread, which meant more gaps for his distinctive strokeplay.

Fielding captains usually recall their leading bowlers for the power plays. The upside for the batting team? Lesser bowlers must then step up late in the innings, and even if the field is spread, the batsmen can prosper.

It is a balancing act, but there is a case for taking it earlier than the death throes of an innings.

By the time you get to the final half-dozen overs, the bat is being swung lustily anyway.

Trying to capitalise earlier, to throw a spanner in the bowling team's plans, has much to commend it. But it's a gamble and, bottom line, that's the beauty of it.