The Black Caps have struck the first blow in the Chappell-Hadlee series, winning a thrilling match off the last ball of the game.

The win has been somewhat overshadowed by an incident involving Australian wicket-keeper, Brad Haddin, who appeared to strike the wickets with his keeping gloves, thus making it appear as though Michael Clarke had bowled Neil Broom. Replays have shown that the ball missed the top of the stumps, and the bails were removed by Haddin's gloves.

Daniel Vettori has called out Haddin, claiming that he must have known Broom had not been bowled, and that his expression at the dismissal proves it so.

The incident happened at a vital time in the Black Caps run chase, when Broom and Ross Taylor were beginning to cruise towards Australia's modest total of 181. It would certainly be hard to prove whether or not Haddin intentionally "cheated", but if he is found guilty he must face a lengthy ban, as that kind of behaviour goes against everything cricket is about.

We'll await more news over the controversy...

The game itself was an edge-of-the-seat type of game, as the Black Caps looked to have blown an easy victory. It took until the very last ball before Vettori hit the winning runs.

The Black Cap bowlers did a fantastic job in limiting the Aussie onslaught - Kyle Mills led the way with four wickets, while Ian O'Brian claimed the vital wickets of Michael Hussey and James Hope, who proved to be the last hope (no pun intended) for the Aussies.

The bowlers were backed up by some fantastic fielding, which led to the crucial run outs of Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke.

While limiting the Aussies to 181 was a fantastic job, the batsmen certainly made hard work of chasing down the total.

McCullum was dismissed off the second ball of the innings, after being given out in what would prove to be the wrong call by the umpire after replays showed McCullum clearly getting bat on ball before it hit his pads. It was unfortunate, but it does happen - as it did to David Hussey in the first innings, when he was given out caught behind when the ball didn't appear to hit his bat.

If it wasn't for Taylor, Broom, and Kyle Mills it would have been an embarrassing loss, but at the end of the day the Black Caps tour has got off to the best possible start. And what's even better is that the Australians horrible run continues.

It's still too early to say the Black Caps will run away with the series, but if the Aussies don't start to improve soon their Summer is going to get a lot worse very quickly - not that we would mind that too much.

The second ODI is on Friday.

Brendon Diamanti and Trent Boult are the new faces in the Black Caps squad named for the upcoming Chappell-Hadlee series in Australia.

Diamanti has been on the New Zealand scene for some time now, and has been rewarded for some good form in this summer's competition. With Jacob Oram still unavailable Diamanti will bolster the Black Caps all-rounder stocks, although there are rumours that Oram may play some part in the series if he overcomes his injury and can prove his fitness is up to scratch. Here's hoping he can - he's such a valuable asset to the Black Caps, and the balance of the team.

Boult makes his way into the squad after a fantastic start to his career in New Zealand. At only 19 years old, Boult joins his Northern Districts teammate Tim Southee as a new generation of Black Caps, and it's clear the selectors are looking to the future with such selections.

Boult's figures in this summer's State Shield are impressive, taking thirteen wickets at an average of 23.84 - not bad for a 19 year old.

Ian O'Brian and Peter Fulton join the squad after missing the ODI series against the West Indies, and other than that it's the same squad.

Brendon McCullum has had an early taste of Australia after being included in the New South Wales T20 team for their final. McCullum was granted a release from his duties with Otago to play in the final. Andrew Symonds has called McCullum's inclusion in the NSW team, as "un-Australian" (and the rest...), but maybe he should be worrying more about his own form.

If the Black Caps are to stand a chance against Australia, McCullum will need to be on top of his game, despite the fact that Australia's form hasn't been red hot as of late.

All we need now is for South Africa to soften them up a bit more before the Chappell-Hadlee series begins next month!

The Black Caps have won the ODI series against the West Indies, after the final ODI in Napier was shortened due (once again) to rain. Under the deeply confusing Duckworth Lewis system, the Black Caps won the ODI by six runs - ending up on 211/5 in the 36th over before the rain caused the end of play.

The West Indies started the day in absolutely devastating form, with Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul spearheading the attack as the Windies piled on 293 runs. Gayle smashed his way to yet another ODI century, finally being dismissed for 135, while Chanderpaul fell six runs short of 100.

Brendon McCullum and Jessie Ryder got New Zealand's run chase off to a good start, and was carried on by Martin Guptill, fresh off his record setting 122* in Auckland, and Ross Taylor, who was left stranded on 48.

Both captains agreed to call the match off, effectively giving the Black Caps the series. It's not the ideal way to win a series, but it really does sum up how the West Indies' tour has gone - wet and miserable.

So, what can the Black Caps take out of the West Indies series? Well, perhaps surprisingly, quite a lot.

Firstly, the concern over our lack of strike bowlers at the top of the innings. Kyle Mills is without doubt our best on offer at the moment, and while he has produced some good form lately, he does have a tendency to follow up a good game with a pretty average one. Mark Gillespie has the pace to lead our attack, but his accuracy is a worry. He is better suited to the fifty over game, and will struggle to make a name for himself in the Test arena based on his performances to date. He would probably benefit from regular game time, though, rather than being dropped all the time.

Secondly, we need to start looking at future replacements for Jacob Oram and Scott Styris, who seem to spend more time on the sideline than they do on the field. Grant Elliott is OK, and shows some promise, but he's a long way of the level Oram and Styris set with both the bat and the ball. Neil Broom certainly has the skills to score runs, and from what we saw in Auckland he can score quickly, but like Elliott he's rather inexperienced. Time will tell for these two...

It's not all doom and gloom, though. Our batting has shown a marked improvement in both forms of the game, especially with the likes of Ryder and Flynn - who have started to prove their worth in the team. Taylor is starting to find some form, too, which will be good for the upcoming ODI series against the Aussies.

As for the new coach, Andy Moles, we think he's started off his career with the Black Caps not too badly. It can't have been easy watching his team get into a commanding position, only to have the weather spoil the party - but based on what we've seen so far, we think he's making the right decisions. As with the players - only time can tell.

The upcoming series against the Aussies should be a cracker, especially as the Aussies seem to have unearthed a new batting 'sensation' in David Warner - who was plucked from obscurity to help lead the Aussies to a win over the South Africans in the first T20 match. Warner hadn't even played a first class game of cricket before being called into the team. Whilst he's failed to ignite in the first two ODI's, doing what he did once means he can do it again - let's just hope it isn't against us.

Lastly, we end on the news that Matthew Hayden has announced his retirement from international cricket. After what's been a pretty tough Summer of cricket for Hayden, the announcement has come as no real surprise. Hayden has certainly been one of Australia's greatest players, and their best opener in Test cricket - and it's another massive loss for Australian cricket as Hayden joins the likes of Warne, Gilchrist, Langer, McGrath and Martin, who have all called an end to their playing days in recent years.

His no-fuss hard-hitting will be missed, in all forms of the game.

Jaime How's run of bad form has forced the selectors hands, as they were faced with no choice but to drop him for the remaining two ODIs against the West Indies. His axing has made way for the young Martin Guptill of Auckland, who made a sensational debut for the Black Caps by scoring a brilliant 122 not out.

Guptill has been knocking on the door for a while now, and has experience playing in the New Zealand A team, including tours to Australia and India last season. His form in this years domestic competition has been very good, including 124 off 97 balls against Northern Districts.

Guptill becomes another in a long line of top order batsmen for the Black Caps in recent years, but if his start is anything to go by then he could just be the answer to the Black Caps problems. Already Daniel Flynn and Jessie Ryder have benefited from Andy Moles tutelage, and Guptill could well benefit from Moles' influence.

As for Jaime How - well, he's going to have to go back to the domestic level and try to regain the form we know he's capable of. If he can manage to do that, then he may have a chance to regain his place in the team for the series against India, but at this stage it's going to take a lot of work by How to regain his place. His one advantage is that he has been working with Martin Crowe on his batting, so who knows?

There may be hope.

His fate is in his own hands, at least, but you've got to wonder how many more chances the selectors will be prepared to give him. Just look at Matthew Sinclair - he's in blistering form this season, but the chances of retaining his return spot with the Black Caps are very slim.

Could this be the last we'll see of Jaime How?

We'll just have to wait and see.

The Black Caps will take on the West Indies in the third ODI on Wednesday, after going down in the second one dayer - which was shortened to 28 overs due to rain. Given that the first ODI was washed out completely, the Black Caps are now in a do-or-die situation, and they will be desperate to put their efforts so far this summer behind them.

While they haven't been playing badly, they've struggled to capitalise on their home ground advantage, especially in the two Tests where all they could manage were draws.

There are several players in the team who need to step up and start scoring runs, because thus far we've relied too much on one or two players to score the runs, and then hoped for some serious tail-wagging. It's time the Black Caps stopped having to rely on those few who do step up. There are eleven players in the team, and they all need to go out there and do their job.

The West Indies have a similar problem, where they rely too heavily on Gayle, Sarwan and Chanderpaul, while the rest of the guys seem to coast by on the efforts of the big three. It was an impressive finish to the second ODI, and the way they fought back to claim victory was great to watch, but what they were effectively playing was a slightly extended T20 match - which they are traditionally good at. Had the game gone the full fifty overs, the story may not have been the same.

Which brings us to our next point - why the hell do they cut the games down to such a ridiculous amount of overs? It's crazy that instead of playing 100 overs of cricket, we get short changed to less than 60. Whatever happened to postponing the game until the next day? At least that way we get the full game, not just a shortened waste of time.

Hopefully the New Zealand weather can clear up for the remainder of the summer, and we'll get to watch some proper cricket.

There's a bit of good news, though. The Indian cricket board has requested that they extend the Indian tour to New Zealand by adding an extra Test. It would be crazy for the New Zealand cricket board to refuse this, as we all know the Indians carry a huge financial weight behind them which could really benefit New Zealand cricket. It would be great for the Black Caps to get some more Tests under their belts, especially against the in-form Indian side.

Let's hope the NZ cricket board do the right thing, and accept the deal.

The first Test between the Black Caps and the West Indies has ended in a draw, after the last day was abandoned due to rain. It's the second day out of the five that has been abandoned due to poor weather, which raises the question - why would you play the first Test of the summer (and we use the word summer tentatively...) in Dunedin, not known for it's weather at the best of times? Sure, the University Oval is a great cricketing ground despite it's small size, but they should have held off and given Dunedin one of the Tests later in the summer, when they would be more likely to get five good days in. Not to mention that most of the students would be back by February, and that would mean a packed ground.

Aside from the weather, the cricket played has produced some positive aspects, and a couple of not so positive aspects. Firstly, the switching of Daniel Flynn and Jessie Ryder has been a great success, with both batsmen scoring plenty of runs in the first innings. John Bracewell must be wondering why he persisted with Flynn down the order, when he is clearly a better player coming in at three - and the same can be said of Ryder moving from three to five, where he too looks a lot more comfortable.

Tim Mckintosh looked OK, but didn't appear to offer any more than Arron Redmond would have opening the batting. Time will tell whether or not he can make a career for himself opening for the Black Caps. His opening partner, on the other hand, is on the fast track to joining the scrap heap. Jaime How has once again failed to score any runs, which has called his position in the side once again to question. We know he has the talent, but he'll need to get himself out of his slump very quickly.

The bowling was average at best, and was lacking someone who could put real pressure on the West Indian batsmen - aside from Daniel Vettori, of course, who was his usual impressive self. We are definitely missing someone with out-and-out pace like Shane Bond, and it's starting to show. Mark Gillespie failed to make the most of his opportunity (once again...), and unless he pulls out a blinder in Napier he will surely find himself back on the outer. He does have some pace, but fails to find consistency with his line and length, causing him to go for plenty of runs. The only thing in his favour is his batting ability, which while not outstanding is a hundred times better than Chris Martin's. Then again, he's not in the side to bat - he's there to take wickets.

The West Indies showed that they're not here to play games. They batted well, and gave some of our batsmen a bit of a working over with the ball, proving they are a dangerous side for anyone who takes them lightly. If the next Test can go the full five days, they are a real chance of beating the Black Caps.

The Black Caps already look a better unit with Andy Moles as coach, though, and while there are a few things to work on, we're confident Moles can get them back on the right track.

The next Test starts in Napier on Friday.

The new Black Caps coach, Andy Moles, has already started making changes to his side in preparation for the upcoming series against the West Indies, starting in Dunedin this Thursday.

The biggest change sees opening batsman Aaron Redmond dropped for Tim Mcintosh, who has been in good form over the past few seasons for Auckland. Mcintosh has already had a taste against the West Indies in the three day warm-up game for Auckland, where he scored 78 against the visitors.

Redmond has failed to set the cricketing world alight, and will join the likes of Craig Cumming, Michael Papps and Matthew Bell, who have all tried and failed at the top of the order for the Black Caps.

The pressure will certainly be on Mcintosh to score plenty of runs this summer, or he could find himself joining the ever growing pile of failed Black Caps openers.

The other changes come in the bowling department, where Mark Gillespie and James Franklin will return to the squad. Their selection comes at the expense of Tim Southee and Chris Martin. Southee can feel a little hard done by, but we're sure we haven't seen the last of him - especially when you consider the amount of time Gillespie has been given a chance and failed.

Martin, who for a while now has been considered our best bowler (at least since Shane Bond left) only has himself to blame for his axing. While he isn't in the team for his batting, the fact is that he is a liability when he comes out to bat - and it means that the Black Caps are effectively 1 down before they even walk out there. He can't be trusted to score a single, let-a-lone hit a boundary off the last over if required - and until he learns how to hold a bat properly, it's unlikely he'll be selected any time soon.

Come on, Martin - it's really not that hard to at least swing the bat.

Without having to jump in the air.

At yorkers.

The last change sees the return of Jacob Oram, who was sorely missed against the Aussies. Oram injured his back in the Tour of Bangladesh, and was forced to miss the two Tests in Australia. But he has been back playing for Central Districts, and more importantly he has been bowling plenty of overs, which is a good sign.

The West Indies won't be easy, and it's going to be interesting to watch Chris Gayle send the ball over the boundary at the University Oval in Dunedin, which has possibly the smallest boundaries in Test cricket. They will certainly be entertaining to watch, and with the likes of Sarwan and Chanderpaul in their lineup, the Black Caps will have to be on top of their game to come away with a win.

Let's just hope the weather in Dunedin can clear up, and we can get five days in without rain.

Fantastic news for New Zealand cricket fans, as a new coach has been named to replace the departing John Bracewell. Northern Districts coach, Andy Moles, will replace Bracewell after the final Test in Adelaide in a few days time. This is welcome news for all those who felt Bracewell should have gone a long time ago - and yes, we are certainly in that group.

Bracewell was originally scheduled to leave at the end of the New Zealand Summer, but has decided it would be best to leave after the two-Test series against the Aussies - which we think is the best decision Bracewell has made in his time as coach.

The Black Caps have failed to make any improvements in their game under Bracewell, and while we still rank in the top 4 in One Day cricket, we haven't made a serious attempt at challenging for that top spot. As for Tests, we seem to have gotten worse as time has gone on - and our batting can only be described as atrocious.

Andy Moles was an opening batsman, and hopefully he can come in and teach our top order a thing or two about staying at the crease. He has plenty of potential to work with, but we'll just have to wait and see if he can get the best out of them.

The one thing he has said he will do is make the players accountable for their performances, which is something Bracewell has never done. Just think back to how long Hamish Marshall was kept in the team, despite being in the worst form of his life. If the players aren't performing, then they need to face the consequences. We've said it a million times before - there is potential by the bucket loads, but for some reason the players just aren't producing the goods.

Barrack Obama said it best - "It's time for a change". And, while he probably wasn't talking about the Black Caps (we don't think), the saying fits nicely.

Moles has a hard task ahead of him, but if he's given the right support fro New Zealand Cricket and, most importantly, the players themselves, we don't see any reason why he can't lift the Black Caps out of the mediocre, and into one of the best teams in the world.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

This week could be unpleasant for two New Zealand teams, as they steer down the barrel of two dangerous Australian sides - the Kangaroos, and the Aussie cricket team. While there shouldn't have be any worries for the All Blacks against Wales this weekend, the same can't be said for the Kiwis and the Black Caps, who by all accounts should be no trouble for their Aussie counterparts.

The Kiwis showed glimpses of brilliance against the English league side on their way to reaching the World Cup Final, but the Kangaroos have looked unstoppable in their four games thus far, including comfortably beating the Kiwis in week one. The Kangaroos have only had 16 points scored against them in four games, which is an outstanding achievement when you consider they've faced the Kiwis and England - the two sides who were supposed to be their biggest challenge. They would have to turn in a very terrible performance for the Kiwis to have any chance of beating them, and that's very unlikely at this stage.

The only thing in the Kiwis favour is that they've been involved in two very physical clashes with England over the last two weeks, which should have them prepared for a tough battle with the Aussies. The Aussies, on the other hand, haven't had anything even close to a challenge thus far, and if the Kiwis can manage to step up, the Kangaroos may not be as prepared for a close encounter. It's hard to see this happening though, to be fair...

These are the two best sides at this World Cup, and of all the teams represented the Kiwis probably have what it takes to beat the Aussies - but it's going to take an outstanding performance from every player on the field, because you know the Kangaroos will be ready to go. It's hard for us to say this, but we honestly believe the Kangaroos will run away with this one, and should be able to put 30 points on the Kiwis. But, you just never know - we could have another 2005 Tri Nations Final on our hands.

One can only hope.

The other big trans-Tasman clash sees the Black Caps face off against the Aussies, starting today in the first of two Tests. There's a lot of people out there who believe the Aussies are wounded after their disappointing efforts in India, and that the Black Caps have some hope of actually winning. Well, if there's one thing you should always be aware of it's a wounded Aussie - especially one like the Aussie cricket team.

It's hard to see the Aussies losing to the Black Caps, especially when you look at how they've played over the past month or so. They were below average in Bangladesh, and utterly abysmal against New South Wales in the build up to the first Test. If they play anything like that against Australia, they will be easily thrashed within three days. Like the Kiwis, the Black Caps will need all players to be at their best, and even then Australia should be too strong.

The Brisbane pitch looked like it was going to be bowler friendly, and the first day today proved that, with New Zealand bowling Australia out for just over 200. A great effort, but also a very dangerous sign for the Black Caps, as it's our batsmen who have been letting the side down recently. Brett Lee will be licking his lips at the prospect of finding some form against the Black caps batsmen in the morning.

The Black Caps need to go out and play with confidence, like they did today - and, most importantly, not let the occasion get the better of them. Otherwise, it's going to be a long trip for them. They saw how the Indians attacked the Aussie bowlers, and they need to do the exact same thing. Test matches are no longer the slow affairs that they use to be - if you can't score runs quickly, you're going to lose. The Black Caps need to move away from their current style of slow batting, and hopefully when we get a new coach we can start catching up with the rest of the cricketing world.

Until then, we predict a comfortable Australian victory in both Tests.

Oh well - at least we still have the All Blacks.

The Black Caps have somehow managed to save themselves from [complete] humiliation in the first Test against Bangladesh, with a three wicket win over the home side.

This was a Test the Black Caps should have won easily, but they struggled against the spin attack of the Bangladesh bowlers, and even struggled to dismiss the tail end of the Bangladesh batting lineup.

Going into the last innings the Black Caps needed 317 runs to win, and it was going to take one hell of an effort for them to chase down the total. It was always going to be possible, but several of the Black Cap batsmen would need to do their job [for once].

Aaron Redmond, Jaime How and Jesse Ryder all chimed in to get the innings off to a good start, with Redmond going on to make 79 in what was a good platform for the middle order.

Vettori came in as night watchman when Ryder got run out at the end of day four, which turned out to be the best decision the Black Caps made the whole Test. Vettori and Redmond continued to push towards the 317 run target at the beginning of day five, and everything was going well until Redmond got himself caught only 21 runs away from his first century.

Then, the wheels began to fall off.

(What? Off the Black Caps? Noooooo.)

Taylor went cheaply, before McCullum was given out lbw in what could easily be the worst decision of the century. The ball pitched way outside leg, and it wouldn't have even come close to hitting the stumps. Not that that's relevant when the ball pitches outside leg, but it just made the decision that much worse. It's yet another case for the need to have video umpires step in when poor decisions are made.

The Black Caps looked to be falling into old traps, and with only Vettori, Oram and Flynn left (of the notable batsmen...) the game was hanging in the balance.

Fortunately for the Black Caps, Daniel Flynn came out and played the best innings of his short career, as he and Vettori got the Black Caps back on track and heading towards the winners circle.

Both batsmen were eventually dismissed (Vettori 76, Flynn 49), but they had already done enough to secure the win.

Flynn showed a lot of patience as he helped tick the score over just enough to keep the Black Caps on target. It was by no means the most exciting cricket to watch, but in the scheme of things it was what was needed at the time.

Vettori was without a doubt New Zealand's best player, as he chalked up his second half century of the match, and took nine wickets - becoming only the second captain in history to score a fifty in each innings and take four wickets per innings. That's impressive.

The only problem is that he usually bats at 8 or 9, and he's easily our best batsman at the moment. Says a bit about the guys above him, really...

Bangladesh will rue their chance to beat an established Test playing nation, but they did not play as well on the final day as they had throughout the previous four days. Their field placements were somewhat unusual for a team that needed to take eight wickets in the final day. They have a lot to do to keep improving, but improve they will.

With one more Test to go, it's hard to see the Black Caps performing so poorly again - specially as Bangladesh will be hurting from the loss, and are a team that thrives on confidence, which will be at a low now.

One thing's for sure - if the Black Caps don't improve significantly (SIGNIFICANTLY, LADS) then some changes may well be around the corner. It's time to start impressing the new coach - whoever that may be.

Photo from Flickr - HNM_1977

The Black Cap's poor series in Bangladesh is a worrying sign, especially when you consider the Summer ahead.

And the fact that they're staring down the barrel of a Test loss.

And the fact there's still a Test to go.

Hmmmm.

The Black Caps will face Australia in two Tests and five ODIs (all in Australia), two Tests and five ODIs at home against the West Indies, and the same again against India - not to mention several Twenty20 matches in between.

This is by no means an easy Summer's schedule - in fact, it will be one of the toughest in recent years.

If the ODI series (and quite possibly the first Test match, the way it's going) against Bangladesh is anything to go by, then get ready for a long Summer - because if we play like this against Australia, West Indies or India then we're going to suffer some pretty heavy defeats.

One of the major problems for the Black Caps is that we have a coach, John Bracewell, who has already announced he will be retiring at the end of the Summer, rather than just stepping down now. We feel Bracewell should have been shown the exit at the end of the World Cup, but instead he was retained, and things have continued to go down hill.

New Zealand Cricket should have stepped in when the worrying signs began. We've lost some of our best players during Bracewell's time in charge - Nathan Astle, Craig MacMillan, Shane Bond, Lou Vincent, not to mention Stephen Fleming - all of whom are clearly not done playing cricket, as they all continue to play in the Twenty20 leagues in India.

Obviously there is something that the public are not being told, because we don't buy for one second that these guys left because they were finished with International cricket. Sure, they may have been getting towards the end of their playing days - but they could easily have played on for another few seasons.

I can't wait to read Craig MacMillan's book - we'll finally be able to hear about how the players really got on with Bracewell. From what we've heard, he rips into Bracewell's coaching style...

If only the players actually spoke about these matters at the time, rather than waiting a year or two.

The other problem for the Black Caps is that we've got really talented batters batting out of position. Former Black Cap Simon Doull made a comment about how Brendon McCullum should not be opening the batting - especially with Jesse Ryder at the other end. We, for two, agree - McCullum is far more useful batting at six or seven, where he will be more likely to win us games.

The only times he's won us games opening the batting has been when we've had to chase miserly totals of around 120, where he could go out and swing the bat at everything without any real pressure on him. He's certainly not at his best when he's left to set a total - although for that matter, none of the Black Caps are. McCullum should be batting down the order, where he can close an innings - similar to the way Chris Harris used to. He's capable of scoring quickly, and would be far more effective at the other end of the innings.

The other batting change that needs to be made is Jacob Oram - we feel he needs to come up the order to at least five. Oram is the kind of batsman who needs to get his eye in, and becomes far more useful when he is given the chance to do so. We saw it against Bangladesh where he came in when the pressure was on, and he had to consolidate the innings. Once he had, he unleashed - and the runs piled up. In the third ODI, he came in and needed to start scoring right away - and he got himself out quite quickly.

These are not difficult things to fix, but would be very effective moves to make. But, most importantly (yes, we'll say it again) - they need to get rid of Bracewell as soon as possible, so that the team can start rebuilding under the guidance of a new coach.

The equation was simple - beat Bangladesh in all three one dayers, and move to number two in the One Day rankings.

It should have been an easy task - Bangladesh had just lost a bunch of players to the Rebel League, and were left with only a handful of experienced players.

The Black Caps, on the other hand, were heading into the series with a full strength side (anyone who says we were not at full strength without Chris Martin in the team is having a laugh...seriously), and deserved to be going into the one dayers as heavy favourites.

By the end of the first one dayer, though, all of that was blown out of the water. We were left wondering - firstly, how we could only manage 201 against an average (at best) bowling lineup, and secondly how on earth Bangladesh could chase the miserly total down with seven wickets in hand. It was disgraceful (to put it nicely - that's not what we said at the time, though), and just like the All Blacks at World Cup time, the only word that can be used is 'chokers'.

The Black Caps had a great opportunity to move up the rankings, and they choked.

Let's put it in perspective. The Black Caps are a very good one day side, and have been sitting in the top three or four one day sides for a long time now. Bangladesh, on the other hand, are not very good - and are the bottom-dwellers of the one day rankings.

They have caused some pretty major upsets against the likes of India, Pakistan and even Australia, but the one thing the Black Caps have always been able to say is - "At least we haven't lost to Bangladesh". Well, that's gone down the drain, hasn't it?

The second one dayer wasn't looking that flash, either. The Black Caps struggled on their way to 212/9, and that was only thanks to a brilliant 75* by Jacob Oram. Once again, the top order left the middle to lower order batsmen to clean up their mess - the same old story, really.

It's just unfortunate that Chris Martin wasn't there. Had he been, we might well have scored in excess of 300.

Thankfully, this time the New Zealand bowlers got it spot on - and they dismissed Bangladesh for 137.

(Why didn't we do that first time round, lads?)

Kyle Mills was outstanding, with figures of 3 for 13 off only 6.4 overs, while Oram (who was rightly named man of the match), Southee and Vettori also chipped in with wickets.

The final one dayer is on Tuesday, and the Black Caps need to win. If they don't, they'll become the first side to lose a series to Bangladesh.

Please don't bring THAT record home for the trophy cabinet, boys.

The New Zealand Cricket Chief Executive, Justin Vaughan, has announced that NZC are on the hunt for a new coach, who will replace John Bracewell when his contract expires next season.

Bracewell has already lined up a new job as coach for the English county club Gloucestershire, which will be his second stint with the club.

Bracewell's term in charge hasn't been overly successful, with the Black Caps still struggling to find form in the longer version of the game. And while we are still rated third in one dayers, we haven't progressed to where we can put up a challenge against Australia or South Africa on a regular basis.

We here in the Attic are - quite frankly, sorry John - pleased to see him leave, and we're looking forward to seeing who leads them into the future.

Justin Vaughan has put the call out to coaches worldwide, and will be looking for someone with the experience to coach the Black Caps, and ultimately improve their current standings - most notably in Tests.

Please.

Some of the candidates from New Zealand are Dipak Patel (who has coached the Under 19's) and Auckland Aces coach, Mark O'Donnell.

Steve Rixon and John Wright are also rumoured to be in the running, and we think either one of them would make a good choice.

Whoever the NZC go with, it honestly has to be better than Bracewell.

He's done nothing for the development of cricket in New Zealand - and, ultimately, isn't that what a coach is supposed to do?

Saying that supporting the Black Caps is like riding a roller-coaster would be a huge understatement. It's actually more like riding an out-of-control rocket.

Sure, they can come alarmingly close to crashing down to earth - but they head for the stars at times, too.

And to the stars they went last night, with their 3-1 ODI series victory over England. Heading into game two of the ODI leg, it would be another understatement to say that New Zealand were on the back foot. They got a whipping in the Test series, were soundly beaten in the 20/20, and then got absolutely hammered in the first One Dayer.

Momentum was with England and, whilst New Zealand were always a chance, the series was there for the taking.

But this is where New Zealand are comfortable - down-and-out, complete underdogs given no chance of victory. And woe-betide the team that underestimates them in that situation.

Which, of course, is exactly what England did. And woe did betide them.

The rain disrupted much of the flow of Game Two but, whilst the game was still well up in the air, New Zealand stole back a lot of the momentum England had amassed during the rest of the tour. We weren't in the majority camp that decided New Zealand would have won given one more over of play, but we do agree that New Zealand were well in it. And that's more than we could say for the 20/20 and first ODI - momentum had definitely swung back towards being even.

Game Three, and New Zealand surprised us. Given the time differences between England and New Zealand, live coverage starts here in New Zealand at about 9:30pm. So, when the lights go off here in the Attic, the games are generally one innings old.

So when the Attic wrapped things up in the 3rd ODI, New Zealand had been bowled out for 182 and the momentum we had wrestled back looked to be gone. Come the morning news, however, and we were wrong - New Zealand (via young Southee) had bowled England out for 160, and had levelled the series 1-1.

Game Four was almost ruined by controversy, with Grant Elliot being (in our humble opinion) ridiculously given out after being injured in a mid-pitch collision with Ryan Sidebottom. Collingwood was given every chance to offer Elliot his wicket back, and chose not to.

Who knows? Maybe justice will come back to haunt him, and he'll get suspended for 4 games due to a pathetically slow over rate. Ha ha.

So Collingwood went, and Game Five came - with Pietersen at the helm. New Zealand scored 266, which was solid but not stunning. England should have backed themselves to chase it, but they didn't even get close. Starts from Bell, Cook and Bopara weren't cashed in on, and Shah couldn't quite turn his solid innings into an excellent one. Skipper Pietersen managed only 6, and in doing so lost Ian Botham a considerable sum of money. We're not actually sure how much he lost - in fact, he may not have lost anything at all. But he might have.

You didn't really think he'd top score with that added pressure did you, Beefy?

England fell for 215, and New Zealand finished their tour with a comfortable 51-run win, and the ODI series trophy.

What an amazing, underdog-style turnaround victory for New Zealand.

But in such a typical manner. At the end of the Test Series, we said that an ODI series victory would not be enough - and we stand by that. We're done with winning One Dayer's, but not being able to transfer those skills to Tests. We're done with the excuse of lacking 'experience' levels. And we're done with finishing the series on a high, but looking back at the Test's with red faces.

What should have happened in this series? Well, the Black Caps should have capitalised on the strong positions they constantly gained in the Tests, and should have won that leg of the tour. They should have won the 20/20, too.

Had they done that, England would have been demolished in the One Dayers, and New Zealand would be flying home with a complete series victory - something that's far to foreign to New Zealand Cricket historians and record keepers.

We love the Black Caps, and we love winning from an underdog position. But New Zealand are not underdogs anymore, and we shouldn't be treated as such. We should be seen as the third or fourth best side in the world, and if we're beaten by teams below that ranking - well, then we've failed. New Zealand's Test ranking has to come up to where they sit on the ODI table - or at least close to that. 7th is well below par, and for a team that consistently has the goods for 50 overs...

It's time for a new coach. There's no other explanation, and we believe that until Bracewell goes, this one-sided, unbalanced trend will continue.

Damn good turn-around though, lads. Damn good.

New Zealand got smashed in the first One Day International against England, and were robbed through pathetic old-school regulations in the second.

But so what?

It's a 5-match series, and New Zealand are down 1-0 with 3 to play. In a situation like that, what would Australia be saying?

If you think they'd be talking about being robbed, you're wrong. They'd move on very quickly. Given 3 games left, they'd be focusing on winning the series - and probably would win. They'd be looking forward, not back.

New Zealand cricket have an attitude problem, and we're sure it stems from Bracewell. We've said it time and again, but we have some spectacularly talented players in this current Black Caps side, and the team as a whole has serious potential. We should not have to complain about being robbed - we should be winning anyway.

England's One Day side is, after years of complete 'averageness', starting to perform again. But New Zealand is 3rd in the world at ODI's - and for good reason. They should not be losing to this England side, and should not have to moan when they 'come close'

Which, of course, is rubbish anyway. Close? Needing 7 off 1 over in gloomy, damp conditions? Close? Being a single wicket, potentially 1 ball, away from losing? We'd hardly call that close. What we'd call that is balanced - it could have gone either way.

Sure, New Zealand had a good chance of winning the match. But so did England - where were their complaints of not going 2-up in the series?

Strauss has been called in to cover the struggling Cook, and will be rubbing his hands together having clocked up some serious runs against this New Zealand side - first in New Zealand, and he now continues that in this series in England. Sidebottom is still struggling, and may well miss his second game in a row.

Oram is out again for New Zealand - a huge blow to the balance of the side, and yet another missed match for the big all rounder. You're a fantastic player, Jake, but you're not much use to us in the changing sheds...

Mark Gillespie will replace Mason, who will probably be relieved to not have to bowl against young Luke Wright again. Gillespie has always been an interesting prospect for New Zealand - he can be terribly, terribly wayward, but he has an extra yard of pace than the other New Zealand bowlers, and offers a different dimension to the attack.

And he'll need it, too - Bristol is an historically high scoring ground, and if Wright can get away at the top of the order...New Zealand had better hold their breath. The bowling in this series has been average at best, and if England's openers can lay the platform for guys like Pietersen, Bopara, Shah, Mascarenhas and Broad...

McCullum, though, always keeps New Zealand in it. He batted well in the last game, and is the biggest threat to England's chances of taking a 2-0 lead in the series.

So, sports fans - who's going to take this out? In the past, we'd have backed New Zealand 100%. The lack-lustre performances with both bat and ball in recent times, though, have got us wondering - how much will our rankings drop between now and when Bracewell leaves?

Come on, New Zealand - please prove us wrong.

New Zealand Cricket - what is going on?

Ranked at #3 in the world in One Day Internationals, there is just no excuse for the shocking display we've seen from them in the past few weeks. We're sitting here in the Attic shaking our heads, desperately trying to figure out where things have gone wrong - and why...

The series against England started so promisingly for the Black Caps. Yes, the first game was rain affected - but that hasn't stopped New Zealand losing in the past. We actually held on for a solid draw in that First Test, and deservedly headed into the second match level-pegging with England.

In the First Test, New Zealand scored 546 runs in total, and lost 16 wickets. Not only is the total number across both innings respectable, but it's consistent.

They scored 277 in the first innings (not great, but you can work with it...), and were 269/6 in the second. With Vettori and Flynn at the crease, New Zealand were looking likely to exceed 600 runs in the match. Nothing to knock your socks off, but from a New Zealand Cricket fan's perspective - well, you wouldn't complain, put it that way.

And then...well, it would be unfair to say that the wheels fell off the Black Cap's wagon. To be accurate, we really need to describe what happened in terms of numbers - that is, the number of splinters left after the wagon exploded in a spectacular cloud of smoke, dust and fire. And low scores. And low wicket hauls. And dropped catches. The numbers, to be frank, are just scary.

The Second Test started extremely well for New Zealand. A first innings total of 381 was more than solid, and Taylor's 154 not out was absolutely stunning. There were positives in the opening department, too, with How putting a smile on our faces for the first time since Mark Richardson (a.k.a The Wall a.k.a Defense, Defense a.k.a Pretty Boring, Really, But Damn Solid) retired.

The bowling started well, too. Vettori lead from the front taking a five-for, and England were bundled out for a paltry 202 - 179 runs behind New Zealand, and the prospect of an in-form Vettori on a crumbling pitch.

We've mentioned the exploding-wagon-thing - there really is no other way to describe it, and this was the turning point of the series. New Zealand relinquished control, lay down on the ground, and let England get stuck in to them.

England, after being bowled out for 202, summoned the mental toughness to come out and bowl with excellent discipline and control - and bundled New Zealand out for 114.

114.

114.

It doesn't matter how many times we say it here in the Attic - we just can't get our head around it. That one score, and the whole series went. How top-scored with 29 - what more can we say?

England still needed 292 to win, and the media had New Zealand placed as favourites. We even thought New Zealand would do it. But we forgot one small detail - that mental toughness England had earlier displayed? Well, apparently New Zealand have none of it. They had runs to defend, a bowler-friendly pitch (despite the heavy roller) to do it on...and yet they managed just 4 wickets.

Danny - what happened?? 1/111 just isn't good enough - and from the captain, no less.

Strauss batted himself into imperious form, and Pietersen, Bell and Collingwood all had valuable knocks. Chasing 294 in the fourth innings of a game, and doing it with ease - there aren't too many better ways of re-instilling confidence in a shaky batting lineup.

And re-instill it did. Test Three, and England strolled out and scored 364 - Pietersen helping himself to a hundred, and Ambrose and Broad scoring half centuries. O'Brien bowled well to take 4 wickets, but the early pressure the New Zealand bowlers applied was let go - England's middle-lower order adding 166 valuable runs, demoralising New Zealand even further.

And their fans. Don't forget us.

To be fair, when New Zealand walked out to bat, they did do better than their miserable 114 in their previous outing. They blasted 123 in this innings, potentially putting their batting demons to rest. There were plenty of highlights - Redmond grafted out a single, and McCullum was at his blistering best during his 8 minute stay. Flynn got a duck, but he did last 3 balls - and that's better than lasting 2. All of Oram's hard-hitting skills were on display during his 7 runs, walking of with a strike-rate of 26.92, and a job well done. Chris Martin finished not out, but unfortunately couldn't get off the mark. Unusual, but it can't all be positive.

After New Zealand had compiled their 123, Vaughan decided that a lead of 241 was enough to enforce the follow-on. A risk, you say? No, no - not against New Zealand. 232 runs later, New Zealand had lost their 20th wicket, and the match by an innings and 9 runs.

So much for all the work they put in for that 123.

So - 2-nil to England, and a hugely emphatic win to close off the Test series.

We'd like to be positive, and say that there are things New Zealand will have learned from the loss. But we honestly don't think they will. The problem is, there's talent within this Black Caps unit. A heap of it. Jamie How has an excellent career ahead of him, and will fight for his wicket with his life. Ross Taylor is reckless, but showed what he can do when he gets it right, and the middle-lower order batting has always been strong.

And we don't even need to mention McCullum - the best wicket-keeper/batsmen in World Cricket right now.

Vettori is a world-class spinner, and Tim Southee has shown a heap of potential. He has real talent with the ball, and showed (when England were in New Zealand) that he'll fight to the end - even if it has to be with the bat.

But they won't learn, because what they need is application. Daniel Vettori said so himself after the Test Series loss - you need 4 or 5 guys to stand up and perform to win a test, not just 1 or 2 - and that's what has happened. The odd good performance, mixed in with some really, really bad ones, and a complete lack of concentration and determination.

John Bracewell won't be helping. He's stated his intention to leave, and in doing so has forced New Zealand cricket into a holding pattern. He's not doing the job, and yet the team can't move on to bigger and, potentially, better things because, incredibly, he's still there.

Why? Stand down, John. Do The Black Cap's (and all of their fans...) a favour - move on, and let us get on with a new regime. Admit that things haven't gone well, and clear out so that someone else can give it a shot. 3rd in the world at ODI's isn't bad - but at what cost? If anything, New Zealand's performances in Tests are getting worse. With the talent available to New Zealand Cricket, there's no way they should be performing so badly in Tests.

And what of 20/20's? A side that prides themselves on their success in ODI's should surely be able to make the transition to the 20 over game. And yet - 7 losses in a row, the latest one being the 9-wicket (nine...) loss to England. You can't tell us that's not a coaching issue...

So, New Zealand Cricket - where to now? We in the Attic will not be satisfied with an ODI Series win from here - that just will not fly any more. We can accept that there was a period where New Zealand cricket suffered after the loss of some of their big names, but it's not an excuse any more. The players coming in have shown that they're more than capable of performing - the best is just not being drawn from them consistently enough.

We've heard a lot of talk about long re-building periods - and quite frankly, it's rubbish. New Zealand and England are very similar sides on paper right now, and have similar amounts of talent at their disposal. New Zealand have a far better wicketkeeper-batsmen, and a better spinner in Vettori. The batting line-ups are fairly evenly matched, with a slight edge going to England, just for the sake of experience. Having said that, New Zealand bat deeper than England.

So why the complete white-wash? And why the shockingly bad loss in the 20/20, after all the talk of switching to New Zealand's preferred format - the shorter version of the game? Well, it doesn't get much shorter than 20 overs - so why so poor?

So many questions have been raised in the Attic this past week or so, and we keep coming back to the same conclusion - Bracwell must go. NOW.

That, and someone should invent 1-over cricket. As long as the Black Caps continue to sustain their performance for 12 deliveries, they'd be in with a shot.

When I got out of bed this morning, I tuned in to Breakfast to find out the state of the England vs. New Zealand cricket Test that's currently being played at Old Trafford.

Live television coverage starts here in New Zealand at 10pm, and the day's play wraps up at about 5am. Call me uncommitted, but I headed to bed just after midnight. England had gone to lunch sitting in a comfortable position, with Strauss and Vaughan batting nicely, but still along way off what would have been a very unlikely (and record breaking, for the ground) win.

I watched the sports news, heard the result, turned the TV off, and went back to bed. It was funny, really - I'd obviously been sleep-walking, and having a nightmare at the same time, because the news had told me that England had won by 6 wickets, with a day up their sleeve.

Half an hour of trembling under the sheets later, I got out of bed and accepted that I hadn't been dreaming, and that England had actually won.

And I was late to work, too.

We here in the Attic aren't sure what happened in that Test. New Zealand had a 179-run first innings lead, and England had a ton of pressure sitting squarely on their shoulders. Yet England's bowlers stood up, and rolled the sorry-looking Black Caps for a paltry, pathetic, useless, miserable (OK, we'll stop...) 114. Terrible from New Zealand, and a spirited fightback from an English side that was staring down the barrell of a heavy loss.

Still, New Zealand were well in the drivers seat. Thanks to their first innings total, England had 294 to chase down to win the game - and they'd have to set a new highest run-chase at Old Trafford to do it, too. England might have shifted some momentum their way, but the prospect of Vettori on a crumbling pitch kept the favourites tag with New Zealand.

And maybe that's what did it. There was no underdog status to overturn. Instead, there was an expectation to fulfill - and that's something the New Zealand Test side is not at all used to.

Maybe, too, it was the heavy roller that Vaughan decided to use before play began. It certainly seemed to extinguish the Vettori-flame - he finished with the unflattering (and unhelpful, from New Zealand's perspective) figures of 1-111 from 35 overs.

The closer England got to victory, and the more solid Strauss looked on the way to his match-winning 106, the more the pressure got to New Zealand. O'Brien should have had both Collingwood and Bell, but fumbled two fairly straight-forward return catches.

And that sums up New Zealand's day...should have.

O'Brien should have taken both catches. But he wouldn't have needed to had his batsmen performed better, and set England at least 370 to win. And England should have had to score that many. Even then, New Zealand's bowlers should have been able to bowl England out for less than 294. They really, really should have.

But they didn't - England did bowl New Zealand out cheaply, they did chase down the record score, they did win, and they do take an unasailable 1-0 lead with one match remaining.

And I'm going back to bed.

Heading into the second Test, England and New Zealand were level-pegging. New Zealand, perhaps, had their noses in front - but only slightly. Either team had the opportunity to do apply pressure on day one at Old Trafford, and New Zealand was the team to do it.

At the end of the first day, shortened because of bad light, New Zealanded walked off looking comfortable on 202/4, with Ross Taylor sitting pretty on 67. And there was more to come. He pushed on in day two, and brought his second international hundred up off 130 deliveries.

He and Mills, batting at 9, combined for a demoralising 7th wicket partnership, with Mills scoring his maiden Test 50. Mills was dismissed for 57, off just 85 deliveries, and Taylor ended the innings unbeaten on 154 from 176 deliveries - a strike rate of 87.50, and an excellent innings.

New Zealand finished on 381, and then made serious inroads into the English top order. O'Brien removed both the openers, and Vettori served up 19 overs of pure pressure - and was rewarded with two wickets. Given what we saw from Vettori on a less-than-two-day-old pitch, how much of a handful will he be if this game goes the full length?

Day two ended with England on 152/4 - although one of those wickets was the night watchman, Sidebottom.

It's precarious for England. They've got a fair amount of work to do to score another 229 runs, and the momentum is definitely with New Zealand. Vettori is on top of the game, from both the perspective of the captaincy and as a bowler.

Before this series started, there was a lot of talk about playing 'exciting' and 'positive' cricket from the English camp. Funny, really - England's 152 runs so far in this match have come at a rate of 2.57 runs per over. Sure, there's been some tight bowling from New Zealand - but can we pick it up just a bit, please?

In the first match, too, England's run-rate was poor. 319 runs, at 2.86 runs an over, is hardly 'exciting'.

Compare that run-rate to the one New Zealand achieved during their 381 in the first innings - 4.2 runs per over. Compare, too, the top score (so far) from each team. With so much of the game to go, the totals (Taylor - 154, and Strauss - 60) are not entirely relevant. But the strike rates - oh boy...

Taylor scored his 154 off 176 balls, a strike rate of 87.5. Strauss's 60 came off 140 balls, at a rate of 42.85. Not exactly blistering.

Taylor faced only 36 extra deliveries in his innings than Strauss - and scored 94 more runs.

And should we even bother to look at Vaughan's strike rate of 22.55 over a period of 172 minutes? Best not to, we think.

These statistic's are astonishing. For a team to tout themselves as 'positive', and then come out and be this sluggish with their batting...

It would be understandable (almost...) against a rampant Australian attack. But England are facing, essentially, a re-built, second-string bowling attack from New Zealand. O'Brien is only in the side because Southee isn't playing - and even he is a rookie. Mills is solid, and Oram is generally reliable, but there's no real superstar amongst the seamers. Shane Bond has been lost to the cash-cow of Indian cricket, and New Zealand are yet to find a replacement that is up to his class - and will probably struggle to do so for some time.

Vettori, admittedly, is world-class, but he doesn't open the bowling. If there's ever a time to take the attack to New Zealand, it's before the slower bowlers come on. Yet, at the 31 over mark, England were 76/1, and crawling along at 2.5 runs an over. No top order collapse is needed to slow England down - they seem happy to dig in and do it themselves.

Cricket fans are used to this from England - they've never really had a flamboyant batting line-up, and slow-and-steady has generally been how they've played the game. And that would be fine...

But the fact that England started their summer with promises of positive intent - well, it's left us (and many, many English fans, we're sure) scratching our heads, and wondering -

When will the foot go down, England?

The second cricket Test between New Zealand and England starts tomorrow night (New Zealand time), and an interesting situation presents itself.

Neither team goes into the second Test with the upper hand, and neither team brings any real momentum from the first Test. Both teams had a century maker with the bat (Oram and Vaughan), and both teams had a stand-out bowler (Vettori and Sidebottom).

It was a fairly straight-forward draw for both England and New Zealand, and neither team was under any real pressure at any stage. Whilst it was a good game of Test cricket (other than the rain), we can essentially look back on it as a warm-up - because it's a two-match series now.

And so we turn to Old Trafford, and it's (traditionally) fast and bouncy pitch. The nerves of fronting up at Lords (and it's [overwhelming] Honours Board) will be gone, and it's time for both teams to get serious.

Both teams have a lot to work on. New Zealand's top order is still a concern (give us strength...), and England's middle order showed signs of vulnerability in the first Test that should worry them. Both teams had solid bowling performances, but there's no doubt that both teams could improve here.

Southee's been hit by a virus and is in doubt for the second Test, and Hoggard (broken thumb - cheers, Harmy) has been replaced in the squad by Chris Tremlett. Tremlett would be an interesting prospect on the bouncy Old Trafford pitch, but it'll be hard for England to change the team that performed so solidly at Lords.

Iain O'Brien and Michael Mason will fight for Southee's position if he's unavailable, and whilst he didn't set the world on fire at Lord's, it would be a huge blow to New Zealand if he can't play. Southee is young and inexperienced, but he has real all-round potential. He gets good pace and bounce with the ball, and with the bat...well, 77 off 40 deliveries on debut says it all, really. The Black Cap's coaching staff will want to develop and progress that talent as soon as possible...

...so you'll just have to get better, Tim.

Win this Test, and you can't lose the series - that'll be the message to both teams, and with such a solid start to the series both England and New Zealand will be looking to take things to the next level.

And that, sports fans, can only be good for us.