One more shot for Lou

Lou Vincent is giving cricket in New Zealand one last chance. The 31-year-old has been living mainly in Britain since moving on from the failed Indian Cricket League. He can potentially qualify to play for England in less than two years.

"I'm still classified as an overseas player there until I get my residency and passport," Vincent says. "That means I could play as a local on the county scene. That's an option but I'm going to test myself in New Zealand first.

"Cricket's been back on my mind in recent months. I want to get back to the top level. It's time to give it one more crack. I wanted to come back and play rather than have a holiday. I can't guarantee a place with Auckland this summer but I'm going to be training every day to prove my worth."

Vincent played for Takapuna yesterday having taken his wife Elly and daughters Molly and Bessie back to their Kaukapakapa property on Friday. He hopes to join the Auckland squad next week and could play for them in the one-day competition before the domestic Twenty20 showpiece next month.

Former Auckland and now New Zealand assistant coach Mark O'Donnell says the province is lucky to have Vincent.

"Auckland's fallen on its feet with Lou turning up. He can definitely play. Provided he's motivated, he's a huge asset; a pleasure to coach."

That hasn't always been the case. Vincent has dealt with - and continues to deal with - depression, which he monitors through medication.

"It's going to be an ongoing battle. Looking back, I was surprised to see how much I'd spiralled into a hole. You can tend to search for things to snap you out of it but in the end it's taken a lot of work and patience from my family.

"I needed to break from the cycle of cricket. You blame things to justify why life's not going great but eventually I realised my attitude wasn't right either. I needed to rebuild it from rock bottom and hopefully become a better person. It's not nice when you lose direction in life.

"You've got to re-train the brain to tackle those nasty little voices. When the monkey on the shoulder is talking, you've got to stand up to him, but it takes time. It's so easy to slip back into what's comfortable."

O'Donnell says it's also a tough thing to coach around.

"Luckily we had a really good guy involved to monitor the situation called Dr Ian Lambie. Lou was also open and honest, as Lou is. He'd say 'I can do today, I can't do today, I need a couple of weeks or I'm fine'. You just had to play it by ear, for want of a more technical term."

The demise of the ICL didn't help Vincent's state of mind.

"It was up and down for me, having just fought the demons of playing in New Zealand. I came straight into a new environment but didn't have the hunger for cricket and my performances were poor. They [the organisers] ended up lying to us quite a bit too about the whole payment thing and it's cost a lot of guys money.

"It's sad when you enter any agreement and get let down like that. It was stressful. But in terms of the cricket progression it didn't really faze me. When it fell over I was like 'oh well, I'm not that interested'. I've rebuilt my attitude now. Unfortunately it takes massive setbacks in life to grow up.

"I then signed for Lancashire, which went well. [Former Australian batsman] Stuart Law got me involved on a short term contract which ended up being until the end of the season. I got a hundred in the Twenty20, which gave me a lot of confidence."

However, Vincent scored just 272 runs at 24.72 in 12 first-class innings for Lancashire and was released.

"The second season of ICL went even worse for me," says Vincent. "That's when I decided to get away from professional cricket and concentrate on my health and family."

At this stage, Vincent will return for the UK summer to play with Nantwich in the minor county league of Cheshire.

Can he make it again at international level? Vincent's been a dynamic batsman in all forms of the game.

He's also come home when New Zealand has a battle shoring up the test middle order.

Vincent played 23 tests for three centuries and nine fifties with an average of 34.15.

He fell out of favour under the John Bracewell regime leading into the summer of 2005-06 when he stated a preference for batting down the order rather than opening - after averaging 56.66 in his previous nine innings. Vincent only played one test after that, in South Africa in late 2007.

"He would obviously have to perform and do damned well at domestic level," says O'Donnell. "You'd be remiss if you didn't consider him, though."

Says Vincent: "The thought of playing for New Zealand has been on my mind, but at what stage I don't know. I was born to play cricket. It's been sad to lose that ambition but to have it back is enlightening. I'm just amping to get stuck in.

"I'd like to think I'm more in tune. It's going to be interesting to see if I'm as good as I was ... or better.

"I've spent time trying to be a good husband and father, picking up the odd bit of work here and there off the field. I kept busy but for me, it was more about getting away from cricket."

In fact it made Vincent into a jack-of-some-trades. He did cabinetmaking and bricklaying, adding to his skills as a home handyman.

His DIY showpiece is arguably the golf deck and green he has built at Kaukapakapa. When he hasn't got the pads on, that's where he'll be this summer.

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NZ role unlikely just yet

Jeff Crowe is happy to consider a future move back into New Zealand Cricket (NZC) management, but perhaps not any time soon.

The International Cricket Council match referee and former New Zealand captain and manager has been asked by NZC CEO Justin Vaughan for his views on a review of the team structure.

"I have said that my family and I are comfortable living in the United States at present and a move to New Zealand is not in the immediate plans but never to rule anything out.

"I am enjoying my role as an ICC referee but down the line I would like to further my career in other forms of cricket and sports administration."

Crowe's involvement in a possible general manager-type role could be in contrast to current NZC plans for selecting a specific coach from a short list.

Vaughan said NZC are still looking for a coach to help a young batting unit, rather than someone necessarily high-profile, domineering or autocratic when there is an experienced skipper in Daniel Vettori.

However, it's understood no firm structure has been set. Vettori and Vaughan are expected to discuss the matter in the next week. The successful candidate is expected to be in place for the series against Bangladesh in February.

Former coach David Trist was in charge for part of Crowe's management reign.

"He knows his cricket, loves his cricket and is fiercely patriotic. He's got captaincy experience, match referee experience and connects well with the players. I was the richer for having him as my manager. We both valued cricketers who were well-rounded people."

Trist says Vettori at that time was still in the early stages of development as a player and would have taken note of Crowe's influence.

"The players always respected Jeff for his knowledge, his experience and his calmness. He knew what his role was and stuck to it."

"[Having a general manager] is not an impossible way to do it, using my own examples of what worked and what didn't as coach. I was comfortable with bringing in someone to work one-on-one with players, if it was required. Jeff would be more than capable of drawing in the appropriate people.

"The ideal in my time was for Stephen Fleming to become increasingly powerful. Vettori has shown he relishes getting those same opportunities Fleming had, much like his captaincy contemporaries Andrew Strauss [England], Ricky Ponting [Australia] and MS Dhoni [India]."

Crowe returns for the under-19 World Cup at Christchurch in the New Year.

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South Africa and NZ associations want IPL window

The South African and New Zealand players' associations have pushed for a separate window for the annual IPL and the Champions League, in such a way that it does not disrupt other international fixtures.

"Yes, there is a need for an IPL and Champions League window but then they must not expand outside this window," Tony Irish, CEO of South African Cricketers' Association (SACA), told PTI. "International cricket, IPL and Champions League must co-exist and not compete. Players should not be put in a position of having to choose between playing one or the other."

Two editions of the IPL have been completed, but not all international players have been able to participate, owing to their international commitments. The England players in particular have found it hard to take part because the IPL coincides with the start of their county and international home season.

Heath Mills, the CEO of the New Zealand Cricket Players' Association (NZCPA), said players in his country could be tempted into opting for cash-rich Twenty20 leagues if there is a constant clash of schedules.

"It is absolutely essential that there are windows created for the IPL and the Champions League," Mills said. "If they do not create a window for the IPL then I am certain our best players in New Zealand will not sign central contracts in the future so they can choose to play in the IPL ahead of any clash that may occur with the Blackcaps' schedule."

The ICC said in July that it wasn't considering the proposal for a permanent window for the IPL. The president David Morgan said that only players in the brink of retirement were likely to opt for such domestic leagues over their international commitments. Shane Warne, who captains the Rajasthan Royals, had earlier called on the ICC to create a window going by his rewarding experience in 2008.

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Brendon McCullum not deflated by loss

Brendon McCullum, New Zealand's stand-in captain, is not looking too much into defeat to Pakistan in the first Twenty20. McCullum oversaw a 49-run loss in the first of two fixtures after New Zealand lost Daniel Vettori to a concussion, Kyle Mills to a shoulder injury and Jacob Oram to paternal leave, but was not too crushed at defeat against the world champions.

McCullum's decision to field was prompted to a degree by Australia's capitulation for 108 at the same venue in May, but it proved a costly one as Pakistan raced to 160 thanks largely to the opener Imran Nazir's 38-ball 58. "We looked at the stats and looked at the pitch and thought it might offer some assistance to the bowlers," McCullum said. "I thought it did that - we just didn't execute as well as what we should've with our fourth and fifth bowler. I think 140 was probably a par score."

In their chase, New Zealand were forced to bring on a half-fit James Franklin as a substitute when Aaron Redmond (who didn't come out to bat) picked up a groin strain while bowling. Despite that setback, McCullum said he believed New Zealand could succeed. "You always think it's a chaseable target. If they had got 300 I'd still believe we were capable of winning. 160 was more than what we wanted to give up, it was more than what the par was but I still believed we were going to be a good enough team to chase it down."

McCullum and Martin Guptill helped launch New Zealand's chase by taking 17 off the first over, but within 15 deliveries the innings collapsed to put Pakistan on track for a sixth straight Twenty20 victory. "In Twenty20 that can happen," said McCullum. "You get it a metre either side or you get a bit of luck go your way with some of the other dismissals and you can get some momentum back but unfortunately we happened to find the fielders and nicked the balls.

"The strategy was to consolidate at times but in 20 overs a lot can happen in a short space of time. We needed to consolidate a little better than what we did but I thought they bowled well too."

One positive from the loss was the continued form shown by Tim Southee, who took 3 for 28 from his four overs. "He desperately wants to be a regular member of this team," said McCullum. "And the way he's come back - I thought he bowled brilliantly in the one-dayers as well - and again tonight, he was fantastic. It's a real plus to have a guy like him in your squad."

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Pakistan claim easy win

A half-century from Imran Nazir helped Pakistan trounce New Zealand by 49 runs in the first of two T20 internationals in Dubai.

Opener Nazir gave Pakistan a superb start with 58 off just 38 deliveries, but they then imploded in typical fashion with only Abdul Razzak (26 not out) and Shahid Afridi (24) making worthwhile contributions to a total of 161 for eight.

However, that score was more than enough as Afridi and Razzaq capped all-round performances by claiming a brace each to steamroll New Zealand for a mere 112 in 18.3 overs.

Nazir survived a considerably testing first over from Shane Bond with the new ball - he was hit in the ribs off the first ball - but built a solid platform.
Ian Butler bore the brunt as Nazir launched his attack with consecutive sixes, the bowler conceding 42 from three overs.

Nazir, who had lost both Kamran and Umar Akmal early, reached his second Twenty20 half-century with a six off Nathan McCullum and in the process put on 36 in quick time for the third wicket with Afridi.

Bond, easily the pick of the Black Cap bowlers, returned to remove Nazir and Aaron Redmond dismissed Afridi in his first over as Pakistan's innings unravelled.

New Zealand, already missing regular captain Daniel Vettori, Kyle Mills and Jacob Oram, suffered another blow with Redmond pulling out in the middle of his third over with a groin strain, the all-rounder having caught and bowled Shoaib Malik by then.
New Zealand would have fancied their chances but struggled with the chase from the start.

Left-arm fast bowler Sohail Tanvir sent back Martin Guptill in his first over, but Mohammad Aamer inflicted bigger damage, snaffling stand-in captain Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor to reduce the Kiwis to 34 for three.

Razzaq then dismissed Scott Styris and Neil Broom and New Zealand slipped further when debutant Bradley-John Watling (22) - the only batsman apart from Nathan McCullum (22) to offer some resistance - was stumped off Saeed Ajmal.
Nathan's departure soon after signalled the end.

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Black Caps on the road at 2011 World Cup

New Zealand will be a well-travelled side through the pool stage of the 2011 cricket World Cup hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Six pool games against Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe Canada and Kenya will be played at five different venues although they only venture outside India once.

That match will be against Pakistan at Pallekele in Sri Lanka on March 8.

They open their campaign against Kenya in Chennai on February 20, followed by four-time champions Australian in Nagpur on February 25 and Zimbabwe in Ahmedabad on March 4.

The pool phase ends with two games in Mumbai, against Canada on March 13 and Sri Lanka on March 18.

The top four teams from the seven-team pool will advance to straight quarterfinals, starting on March 23.

The final will be played at the renovated Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 2.

In all, 13 venues will be used in the 43-day tournament.

India is hosting 29 of the tournament's 49 matches.

Pakistan was stripped of hosting rights over security concerns. They will play all their group matches in Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh and India play the first match of the tournament in Dhaka on February 19, two days after the opening ceremony in the same city.

NZ's 2011 World Cup fixtures
v Kenya, Feb. 20 at Nagpur, India
v Australia, Feb. 25 at Nagpur, India
v Zimbabwe, March 4 at Ahmedabad, India
v Pakistan, March 8 at Pallekele, Sri Lanka
v Canada, March 13 at Mumbai, India
v Sri Lanka, March 18 at Mumbai, India

Quarterfinals

Quarterfinal 1
March 23 at Dhaka, Bangladesh

Quarterfinal 2
March 24 at Colombo, Sri Lanka

Quarterfinal 3
March 25 at Dhaka, Bangladesh

Quarterfinal 4
March 26 at Ahmedabad, India

Semifinals

Semifinal 1
March 29 at Colombo, Sri Lanka

Semifinal 2
March 30 at Mohali, India

Final
April 2 at Mumbai, India

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NZ win series despite Pakistan last-wicket century stand

ABU DHABI (Reuters) - New Zealand scored a thrilling seven-run triumph over Pakistan to win the one-day series 2-1 despite a valiant last-wicket partnership of 103 between Mohammad Aamer and Saeed Ajmal on Monday.

Pakistan, chasing 212 for victory, seemed down and out at 101 for nine but 17-year-old Aamer struck 73 not out and Ajmal hit 33 as the pair came within three runs of equalling the world record stand for the 10th wicket in a one-day international.

West Indians Viv Richards and Michael Holding put on 106 against England in Manchester in 1984.

Aamer achieved his highest ODI score and Ajmal batted well after earlier taking four for 33 with the ball.

Ajmal was out to the first delivery of the final over, caught brilliantly at fine leg by Kyle Mills off Jacob Oram.

Aamer took a liking to Daniel Vettori's bowling, hitting the spinner for three sixes.
Earlier, Pakistan lost five wickets for 12 runs to slump to 86 for eight.

Medium pacer Oram took three for 20 while seamer Tim Southee claimed two for 26.
Quick-scoring opener Brendon McCullum lashed 76 in 78 balls but New Zealand slid from 72 for nought to 211 all out in 46.3 overs.

Ross Taylor added 44 while paceman Umar Gul took his 100th ODI wicket in his 67th match when he removed Aaron Redmond for 21.

The teams now meet in two Twenty20 internationals in Dubai on Thursday and Friday.

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New Zealander becomes longest living Test player

Wellington: New Zealander Eric Tindill added a new item to an unparalleled list of sporting achievements over the weekend when he became the world's longest-living Test cricketer.

Tindill, who lives with his daughter Molly in suburban Wellington, achieved the milestone when he turned 98 years, 325 days, surpassing the record of England's Francis MacKinnon who died in 1947.

The former wicketkeeper-batsman played five Tests for New Zealand between 1937 and 1947. He also played rugby for New Zealand, making a single Test appearance against England in 1936. He is the only New Zealander to play Test matches in both sports.

But Tindill didn't stop there. He also was a referee in rugby and an umpire in Test cricket, achieving a distinction which is unlikely ever to be matched.

He has a little more to do to become the longest-living rugby player. That honour belongs to Scotland's Mac Henderson, who died earlier this year aged 101.

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Champions Trophy has Bond confident

New Zealand are referring to their notes and subsequent defeat of Pakistan in last month's Champions Trophy to prepare for the ODI series starting in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday morning.

Pace bowler Shane Bond is confident New Zealand can hit the ground running in the first of three matches in Abu Dhabi.

The five-wicket defeat of Pakistan in the Champions Trophy in Johannesburg was reason to believe a series win was within their grasp although Bond was wary the environment would suit Pakistan far better than that in South Africa four weeks ago.

"We'll redraw the stuff we had last time on them," Bond said.

"It worked pretty well in terms of the bowlers, we knew what we had to do. Obviously this time we'll have to adapt to the surface which will be flat and slow like Pakistan conditions."

Bond will be a key figure at the top of the bowling order as he continues his return to the international fold.

His return came in September's one-day series in Sri Lanka, followed by the Champions Trophy, where he showed glimpses of his class.

He was feeling fit and already looking beyond the UAE tour - which ends with two Twenty20 fixtures next week - to a solid stint of first-class cricket with Canterbury.

If he comes through that unscathed, a return to the Test stage looms in the three-test home series against Pakistan starting on November 24 in Dunedin.

"It'll be quite nice to get a full run of cricket in this series and then get back and get into some four-day cricket as well. I'm expecting the more I play the better I'll get. I haven't hit top form but it's not far away," he said.

"Everyone goes on about the speed, I'm happy with the pace I'm bowling.

"The more I bowl the more consistent I'll get. I haven't put in a consistent performance yet.

"I've been good in the odd spell then I've come back and haven't been as sharp as I'm supposed to be."

The New Zealand team makeup changed during Bond's lengthy absence from the New Zealand team, as he served penance for his stint in the rebel Indian Cricket League.

He admitted the batting lineup had a green tinge, which put more emphasis on those with the ball to show the way.

"The bulk of the experience is now in the bowling line-up. In terms of being a bowler coming back into the team we have to lead from the front and do well which puts pressure on us but we quite enjoy that," he said.

"If we don't lead we can't rely on the inexperienced blokes to do it all the time."

Bond will also be called on to show leadership off the park following the controversial resignation of former coach Andy Moles.

Wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum lost the vice-captaincy in the fallout from that episode, with New Zealand Cricket calling on the likes of Bond and other senior players to provide increased support for player-coach Daniel Vettori.

Selection interest surrounds whether uncapped Northern Districts opener BJ Watling will be given a start on Wednesday and where McCullum will bat, with speculation that he may be shifted from opener to a middle-order role at some stage.

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NO EXTRA PRESSURE ON US - McCULLUM

It is business as usual for the New Zealand cricket team as they prepare for the three one-day and two Twenty20 internationals against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates without a coach.

Captain Daniel Vettori has taken on the coaching role following the resignation of Andy Moles last week but so far it does not appear to have caused too much disruption since the team's arrival in Abu Dhabi.

"I suppose it is a little bit different," admitted Brendon McCullum. "But we have only had one proper cricket training since we arrived and that went pretty smoothly.

"We have still got some experienced people in and around the team that are certainly able to pass on some good points.

"Whilst we don't directly have a coach at this point the guys seem to be able to operate pretty well and hopefully we can back that up with some results as well."

Despite the fall-out surrounding Moles' decision to step down after losing the confidence of his senior players, McCullum felt there was no extra pressure on the players to perform with the coach gone.

"The decision at the end of the day wasn't the players' in terms of whether Andy stayed or not," he told Radio Sport.

"From our perspective there is always pressure on us to perform and this is no different.

"We've got a job to do as individuals and collectively if we can pull together to get the job done that's the most important thing."

It has been a tough week for McCullum too after losing his position as vice-captain and there is also a continuing debate around whether or not he should remain as an opening batsman in the limited forms of the game.

The 28-year-old confirmed he will continue at the top of the order against Pakistan, although he conceded a return to the role of finisher at six or seven remained a possibility.

"There is always a possibility that things can change and the roles that you play differ at times.

"But in my mind I'm pretty clear about what I want and hopefully if I can do the job then that takes any sort of debate or questioning about the role I have in the team out of play. The ball is firmly in my court as to how that unfolds.

"Obviously last year was a little bit disappointing. As opposition teams tend to do in international cricket they work out ways to be able to counter certain strengths of a player.

"They did that very well last year, now it's back in my hands to counter-punch with a slightly refined and improved game. I'm confident I can do that."

The sides' opening one-day international is on Tuesday.

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Cricket: Baz finding it tough at the top

It was bad enough that he was singled out in the New Zealand Cricket contracts saga and made to look disloyal.

It was especially galling to be sacked as vice-captain and told to concentrate on scoring runs.

It will be potentially devastating to his psyche to lose the one-day opening role he so obviously covets.

But that's what is facing Brendon McCullum in this three-match series against Pakistan. He wants to open for New Zealand in ODIs.

He sees it as a chance to win a match for his country every time he walks out to the crease.

He has three games, against a handy new ball attack at that, to prove to the selectors that his immense skills are better suited to the initial 10-over powerplay than they are to the discretionary powerplay the batting captain can call on later in the innings.

No pressure then, Brendon.

The question of where best to use McCullum in the batting order has become a hardy annual but it is a debate with no winner. Given that he cannot perform both roles at the same time, it is impossible to say whether effectiveness or otherwise in either position comes down to suitability, or just plain old form issues.

At the recent Champions Trophy in South Africa, McCullum was actually quite good, reaching 40 in his first three innings, getting half a start in his fourth, before an excruciating 14-ball duck in the final.

What was more worrying than his productivity, however, was the fact McCullum did not look as if he was sure about how he was meant to play. He is at his devastating best when he has a licence to attack from ball one. Instead, he often looked like he was batting against the fear of failure.

In that respect, McCullum faces a horrible dilemma in the desert: to be at his best, he must take the risk of failing; if he fails, he will likely face a drop down the order when Bangladesh arrive in New Zealand later in the summer.

But McCullum can at least take comfort in the fact that, despite his leadership demotion, his place in the team is never in doubt. At the same time, he is a proud man and a drop down the order would weigh heavily on him, just as it did when the selectors abandoned the idea of batting him at No 5 in tests.

As it has turned out, his greatest ally in the opening stakes could be the man who normally stands at the other end against the new white ball.

"I think he should stay up there and I don't see why people are saying put him back to seven because the records show that we do pretty well together up the top of the order," Jesse Ryder said last week.

"It's not very often we fail as a partnership and at this stage, I think it's been really good. It's good for both of us because our personalities combine well when we bat with each other out and he really is a calming influence on me."

Do not underestimate the weight of those words. Remember it was only 18 months ago when New Zealand Cricket thought they had found a short-format opening partnership for the ages when McCullum and Ryder took England's new-ball attack - including James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ryan Sidebottom - apart during their tour Downunder.

In the five-match series, they put together a match-winning partnership of 61 (in 78 balls) chasing a small target on a ropey pitch in the first match, then followed it with an unbeaten 165-run (109 balls) slaughter in match two. There followed partnerships of 7 (11), 70 (61) and 103 (68).

But as much as the numbers told a story back then, it is the last sentence in Ryder's statement that will likely carry the most resonance.

New Zealand Cricket rate Ryder's talent so highly, they will take into account his thoughts on who should open with him.

Comments selector and captain Daniel Vettori made to this newspaper a fortnight ago were picked up and taken up by other media as a sign he was leaning towards dropping McCullum down the order.

In fact, he was non-committal.

"The way the game is going [with batting powerplays], it has become more important to have a guy down the order who can finish your innings off," Vettori said. "We've fallen over a few times recently in the late stages, so that's maybe an option for later in the summer but at the moment Brendon's got the opportunity to open against Pakistan."

McCullum won't have his buddy Ryder at the other end in the UAE - he is rehabbing a pelvic injury - but he will have every motive to do well.

Three knocks against anyone in one summer would be tough to take.

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Wright gains more support for top job

Martin Snedden, the former New Zealand Cricket chief executive, believes John Wright must be installed as the team's coach following the removal of Andy Moles. Wright, the country's high-performance manager, has been mentioned whenever the side has had a vacancy at the top, but has never done the job.

"I'm going to put my hand up and say John Wright's time is now, he would be great," Snedden told the Dominion Post. "Right at the heart of this is John Wright has the know-how. So much of what he brings is required. The skill of batting, the passion, he was so nationalistic as a player, we need that right now."

The options for New Zealand have been reduced after the Australians Tom Moody and Greg Shipperd said they were not available. Stephen Fleming, the former captain, has also ruled himself out. However, Steve Rixon, who has held the post before, is interested in a reunion.

"The timing is quite good," he said. "I think that the job that needs to be done is very similar to the job that had to be done in 1997 and the challenge is appealing. They need to get back to simple basics, be more disciplined and possibly look at the make-up of the side."

Wright spent four years with India and has been the high-performance manager for two years without showing the necessary interest in another full-time international role. "There is talk of perceived shortcomings - if that's the case you cope with that," Snedden said. "It is far better to have a coach with John Wright's skills and know-how than someone else who might have that [an ability to organise] and very little else.

"Currently our batting is a problem. We have the raw talent with guys like Ross Taylor, Jesse Ryder and Tim McIntosh, but they are still to learn the skills how to survive. John has all of that knowledge and the desperation."

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Fleming says no to New Zealand job

Stephen Fleming, the former captain, is not interested in replacing Andy Moles as New Zealand's coach due to the time the appointment would take up. Fleming retired last year and has been a popular choice among players and pundits to step in for Moles, who resigned last week after the side's key men highlighted his tactical deficiencies to New Zealand Cricket.

"It is not my interest to coach internationally," Fleming said. "I am very happy with the business side of things I am looking to set up, and with my family life. I do not have the time [for coaching] and I do not have the desire."

Fleming captained New Zealand for a decade and played 111 Tests and 280 one-day internationals before retiring. Now 36, Fleming is establishing a business career as well as coaching Chennai in the Twenty20 Indian Premier League.

He also said it would not be appropriate to work with men who he was playing alongside last year. "The group of players there now are too close to my era, and also my coaching ability is unproven," he said.

Other contenders for the post include John Wright, the former India coach, who is currently New Zealand's high performance director, while Steve Rixon is reportedly interested. The side is about to start a series against Pakistan in the UAE and senior officials hope to make a full-time appointment by February, but may have to wait until after the IPL tournament.

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NZC to ponder over new coach

New Zealand Cricket will not be advertising for a replacement for Andy Moles, according chief executive Justin Vaughan.

Moles resigned his position at the weekend as head coach of the Black Caps after a review revealed he had lost the confidence of his senior players.

Former New Zealand coach Steve Rixon has already expressed an interest in the position, while John Wright - currently the high performance manager for New Zealand Cricket and ex-coach of India - has also been linked with the job.

But Vaughan said the organisation would be looking at exactly the type of coach the New Zealand team requires rather than opening up the process.

"I think the review we have undergone over the last week will give us some good pointers on that but we need to be extremely clear rather than focusing on names or who is available. We need to be 100% certain the type of coach this team needs," Vaughan said.

"Whilst I'm sure (Rixon and Wright) are good coaches I'm certainly not going to be in a position to talk about possible candidates for this job until we are absolutely certain of the attributes, the experience, the type of personality and the skills that a particular coach needs to bring to get the best out of this team. I think that's absolutely fundamental."

New Zealand will leave later on Tuesday for a limited-overs series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates with Daniel Vettori taking charge of the side in a captain-coach capacity.

That situation is expected to remain for the Test series between the two teams in New Zealand which immediate follows the three one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, respectively.

But Vaughan said it was not the long-term solution.

He told Radio Sport: "My thinking at the moment is that we need a head coach. It's Dan's view as well.

"I will be interested to see how the team travels. I guess it (no coach) is a bit of a novelty. I think it could be quite healthy. It will demand that the senior players take on a real leadership role within that unit.

"But I don't see that as a long-term sustainable option for this team. This team has got too much inexperience. I don't think this Black Caps team is in a position where it can be completely self-sufficient."

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No hurry to replace NZ cricket coach

The New Zealand cricket team are without a coach for the rest of this year and a fulltime replacement for Andy Moles may not be found until after the home summer.

While a clutch of home-grown names have been thrown up as interim options to replace Moles, who was forced to resign yesterday, it appears likely captain Daniel Vettori will act as coach for the team's next two series.

Vettori is preparing for the extra responsibility in next month's limited overs series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates, followed by a home Test series against the same opponents.

However, he told NZPA he doesn't want the role beyond then, with the Black Caps hosting Bangladesh and Australia from February.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive Justin Vaughan wants the stormy fallout of this week to fade before turning his thoughts to a fulltime replacement.

He said it was "reasonable" to assume Vettori would remain player-coach for the home Test series starting in a month.

Beyond that there is the option of a temporary appointment but Vaughan won't speculate on some of the names already bandied about, such as former captains John Wright and Stephen Fleming.

"There's a lot of thinking that needs to be done and a lot of dust needs to settle in the wake of this week's events," Vaughan told NZPA.

"We're trying to get to grips with how this team can kick on.

"Andy's departure was the final consequence of a wide-ranging review into how the team is and isn't operating at present."

Another outcome was the removal of wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum from his vice-captaincy duties, with Vaughan keen for a group of senior players to share leadership duties below Vettori.

Assistant coach Mark O'Donnell will continue to help run practice for the 15-man squad on their five-match tour of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. They leave on Tuesday.

Vettori was reluctant to look far beyond that series but said he would seek consultation when the coach appointment process begins.

"Maybe I have a strong say in too much at the moment," he laughed.

"But whenever that happens, it needs to be a thorough process because we don't want to get ourselves in a similar situation."

Vettori reluctantly used the word "relief" to describe his reaction to Moles' forced resignation yesterday.

He said while the Englishman's coaching style hadn't worked with New Zealand, it was no reflection on the regard he held him in and he was saddened by how the process had publicly unfolded.

Vettori reiterated the controversial ousting of the coach hadn't been player-driven.

"I don't think players have that much power," he said. "They have the ability to give an opinion but in the end it's an organisational decision and it's come from a number of areas."

Vaughan didn't want to "dredge up" what Moles' perceived shortcomings were and had no regrets over his appointment last November when several other candidates withdrew.

"It is always going to be a step to go from domestic cricket to being coach of one of the big eight international teams, just as it is for a player," said Vaughan.

"NZC was aware of areas the team needed to improve.

"Certainly following Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy, many of those concerns had been magnified and extended."

Moles' departure ironically comes in the wake of New Zealand's best performance of the past year, reaching the final of the Champions Trophy.

The well-travelled coach did not believe player power had escalated but he stressed the importance of choosing a strong-willed successor.

"They need a coach who's going to be really forceful and a guy who perhaps will be allowed to come in and run the show by himself," he said.

"Obviously my brand of coaching wasn't the type of coaching that these players desired and I understand that."

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Fleming will make a wonderful Black Caps coach: Vettori

WELLINGTON: New Zealand's captain and de facto coach Daniel Vettori believes former skipper Stephen Fleming would make a wonderful Black Caps coach.

Vettori will lead the team to the United Arab Emirates for a One-day and Twenty20 series against Pakistan as both captain and coach following Andy Moles' decision on Saturday to step down as coach after a review process revealed he was ill-equipped to continue in the role.

With Moles not stepping up to the mark, Vettori has been effectively coaching the team for the past six months,

The Sunday Star-Times quoted Vettori as saying that he was happy to continue as player-coach for the next few months, including the home test series against Pakistan next month, but after that he would prefer to see someone come into the role.

"Stephen and I keep in regular contact and he's been quite a big help in going through all this stuff and some other things that have gone on. He has concerns about my workload and he wants to be a sounding board and do anything he can to help," Vettori said.

"He's definitely got coach written all over him and he could be an extremely successful one; it's just whether he wants to get back into that life of touring the world and in that regard it probably is too soon for him. But he would make a wonderful coach," he added.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan, when asked if Fleming was a coach candidate, said: "I don't think this is the right time."

In the short-term manager Dave Currie will have his leadership responsibilities upgraded to help Vettori, while current assistant coach Mark O'Donnell will remain with the team, stuff.co.nz reports.

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McCullum stripped of vice-captaincy

New Zealand will be without a vice-captain and a coach when the squad leave for their limited-over series against Pakistan.

Just a day after the resignation of coach Andy Moles, wicketkeeper-batsman Brendon McCullum has confirmed he has been stripped of the role as Daniel Vettori's number two with no replacement being appointed.

"It's disappointing, obviously, in many respects," he told the Herald on Sunday. "But the fact is I can now concentrate on my roles of scoring runs and keeping wickets.
"I still have some fairly big goals I want to achieve for New Zealand, including the captaincy, and this has not changed that."

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said a decision had been made that there was no need for a second-in-charge and instead they want to see senior players such as Kyle Mills, Shane Bond and Jacob Oram taking a more active leadership role.
"Brendon being Brendon, he will lead," Vaughan said. "That's his nature. At the moment he needs to be focusing on several areas but primarily that is around fulfilling his potential with the bat."

It appears no one incident sparked the decision to demote McCullum but he has been in the headlines this southern hemisphere winter, which looks to have done him no favours.

He was the player focused on when the story broke that six players had delayed signing their New Zealand Cricket contracts until they received clarity around how much of the Indian Premier League they would miss as it clashed with Australia's tour of New Zealand.

He was also the player singled out by IPL commissioner Lalit Modi as one trying to "exploit a loophole" despite the fact Vettori, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor all delayed signing.

That loophole has now been closed so that international players who are playing as free agents without a national contract must also get a no-objection certificate from their home cricket board.

New Zealand leave on Tuesday for three one-day internationals (Abu Dhabi) and two Twenty20s (Dubai) against Pakistan.

The two teams then return to New Zealand for a three-Test series.

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Patel puts positive spin on one-day dumping

Being 12th man for the New Zealand cricket team for four years has got Jeetan Patel enough airpoints to go to the moon but not many wickets.

So many tours but so few opportunities may have caught up with the 29-year-old Wellington offspinner.

While he has mixed cordial and rolled his arm over in the practice nets, his rivals back in New Zealand have had the benefit of consistent cricket and are suddenly snapping at his heels in the limited-overs arena.

One in particular – Nathan McCullum.

Last week McCullum was preferred for the one-day series against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi next month.

The choice was notable because the selection panel included Daniel Vettori, one of Patel's big supporters in the past few years. Vettori said McCullum's superior batting tipped the scales.

Patel said yesterday that he was disappointed to be dropped but believes there is an upside.

He feels a solid few weeks of bowling with Wellington and for his club, Eastern Suburbs, might be better for him long term than getting the odd game in Pakistan.

"I always want to play for New Zealand, I would bust my backside to do that," Patel said. "Missing selection last week was disappointing, but it gives me an opportunity to put things in perspective and start working a little harder on a few things."

Patel won't concede to a lack of cricket over the past three years proving detrimental to his development.

However, he does admit the Sri Lankan tour, when he bowled below expectations, and the Champions Trophy final against Australia, when he was thrown in the deep end and struggled, are performances worthy of scrutiny.

"The last four weeks have been hard with not playing and then to play the final. That was a great privilege but we didn't win.

"Time at home to hone my skills might be good for me. I can sleep in my own bed for a little bit and play some cricket for Wellington and put some performances on the board."

Patel made his test debut against South Africa in April 2006. Since then New Zealand have played 23 tests and Patel just eight of them. In the one-day arena, he debuted against Zimbabwe in August 2005. Since then New Zealand have played 95 ODIs, 38 of them involving Patel.

"I'm not having a dig at anyone but I do wonder if playing [for Wellington] is more beneficial than training [with New Zealand]," he said. "I can take as many wickets as I want in the nets but is that going to help me? It is trying to get wickets in a game that counts and to get my record and my confidence up."

Patel nominates more variety in his bowling, some technical matters in his action, and his batting as areas he wants to brush up on between now and the first test against Pakistan in Dunedin, starting on November 24.

makes the 13 he probably won't make the 11 given the seamer-friendly conditions at that time of year.

"The ball is back in my court so I need to make sure I am going forward in every aspect, from bowling, to fielding, to fitness.

"Rather than being grumpy about not being selected, I've got to find a way to get my excitement back and I think the best way is to get back on the park playing again."

AT A GLANCE

Name: Jeetan Patel
Age: 29
Description: Right-arm offspin

RECORD
Tests: 9 matches, 33 wickets at an average of 39.06
ODIs: 39 games, 42 wickets at 36.02, economy 5.03
First-class: 81 matches, 171 wickets at 41.86

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NZC backs Moles to stay on as coach

New Zealand Cricket has moved to back the coach Andy Moles after a report in Thursday's Dominion Post said senior players wanted Moles sacked. Without naming any individuals, the paper reported that the players believed Moles was not up to standard as an international coach, despite guiding them to the final of the Champions Trophy.

Justin Vaughan, the NZC chief executive, issued a statement to confirm that Moles remained the coach and was preparing the side for the upcoming tour of the UAE. However, there is a review taking place following New Zealand's disappointing tour of Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy.

"Following the Black Caps' return from Sri Lanka and the Champions Trophy we are undertaking a review of the team's performance," Vaughan said. "This looks at all aspects of individual and collective performance with a view to continuous improvement."

The Dominion Post reported that the senior players had a list of concerns including that Moles had not given them enough tactical or technical support and that the captain Daniel Vettori had effectively been coaching the side for the past six months. The paper said that mediation was taking place.

Moles took over from John Bracewell 11 months ago and has a contract until the 2011 World Cup. New Zealand have continued to be a competitive one-day side during his reign, winning nine of 19 ODIs, but they haven't won any of their seven Tests since Moles took over. The team's next engagement is a limited-overs series against Pakistan in the UAE next month.

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NZ players want coach fired: report

New Zealand's top cricketers have called for national coach Andy Moles to be fired, saying the 48-year-old Englishman is not up to the job, local media reported Thursday.

Wellington's Dominion-Post newspaper said the players took their concerns to New Zealand Cricket on their return from the recent Champions Trophy limited-overs series in South Africa, where they lost to top-ranked Australia in the final.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan refused to comment on the report Thursday, saying it was his policy not to speak publicly on employment issues. The reported player revolt comes less than a week before the New Zealand team's departure for the United Arab Emirates where it will play Pakistan in a series of limited-overs and Twenty20 internationals.

"Andy is still the coach and he is preparing the team for Dubai," Vaughan said. "The team has been away for nine weeks and we are performing a complete review of the team, both individually and collectively, and we are looking at ways to improve with such a big summer ahead."

Dominion-Post cricket writer Jonathan Millmow, a former New Zealand fast bowler, quoted an unnamed source as saying senior New Zealand players had a number of concerns about Moles' performance.

The players claim captain Daniel Vettori has effectively been coaching the team for the past six months and believe Moles had failed to provide them with "an acceptable level of technical and tactical support."

The newspaper was unable to reach Moles or Vettori for comment.

Moles, who formerly coached the New Zealand province Northern Districts, was a surprise choice to replace John Bracewell as New Zealand coach last season and is contracted through the 2011 World Cup. The former English county batsman also coached Kenya in 2003 and Scotland in 2005.

He has yet to win a test as New Zealand coach, with four draws and three losses in his tenure. New Zealand has won nine and lost 10 one-day internationals since he was appointed.

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