Kiwis expecting hostile Aussie response

New Zealand paceman Chris Martin expects to face a hostile Australian team in the Test series beginning next week, but admits the world’s No.1 outfit isn’t playing to its usual high standards.

The Australians have copped plenty of criticism after being well short of their best in the 2-0 series loss to India.

They are being widely tipped to maul the Kiwis and take out some of their frustrations from a difficult tour that led to just their second series defeat under Ricky Ponting’s captaincy.

The New Zealanders face NSW in a four-day match at the SCG from tomorrow, their only preparation ahead of the first Test starting on November 20 in Brisbane.

“They’ll definitely have a few points to prove,” Martin said ahead of New Zealand’s final training session at the SCG today.

“I don’t know if they should keep reading their newspapers because they’ve been all over them and they’ll know in their own camp they just have to work a bit harder.

“Losing to India in their own conditions isn’t anything that anyone hasn’t dealt with in the past.

“I know Australia has a certain level of performance they like to play at and perhaps they’re not playing at that at the moment.”

The New Zealanders are hoping to produce their best against the Blues, knowing it is their only opportunity to find form ahead of the two-Test series.

They will field a shadow Test team, with captain Daniel Vettori shuffling up the batting order and four pace bowlers in the side.

In the absence of injured allrounder Jacob Oram (back), Vettori will shift up to No.7 in the batting order while Martin, Kyle Mills, Iain O’Brien and Tim Southee will make up the pace attack.

“It’s the number one priority because there’s no way we can hit that first Test running without actually preparing like this is a Test match,” Martin said.

“We’re going into it that way, there’s a certain anxiety and tension at training to prepare for it.

“We’re not even thinking about (losing). If we do consistently the right things then this game should take care of itself and we’ll go with confidence into the first Test.”

Ponting has already said on his return to Australia he expects his side to go unbeaten in Test series against the Kiwis and South Africa this summer.

Martin knows his side is a rank underdog, but insists there is self-belief within their line-up.

“We’re always undersold and we do surprise good teams every now and then,” said the paceman, who will play his first competitive match of the new season after missing the recent Bangladesh tour with a hamstring injury.

“We know we’ve got the firepower, it’s a matter of stringing it together on a more day-to-day basis, which is basically what Australia does.

“We don’t have the fear, we just have to make sure that we check our time cards in and make sure we’ve done everything.”

New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (capt), Jamie How, Aaron Redmond, Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Flynn, Kyle Mills, Tim Southee, Iain O’Brien, Chris Martin.

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