Melbourne - New Zealand will travel to
Brisbane early to acclimatise to local conditions ahead of the first test
against Australia after their preparations were disrupted due to a tour match
being scrapped in farcical circumstances on Friday.
Originally intended to last four days, the
match was scaled back to three before being abandoned by lunch on the second
day due to the acute deterioration of the pitch at the Blacktown International
Sportspark in western Sydney.
New Zealand's bowlers could prise just one
wicket from the opening four sessions and only after the Cricket Australia XI
openers built a 503-run partnership, an Australian record in first class
cricket.
New Zealand's batsmen did not hit a ball in
anger and the team heads to Brisbane frustrated by the lack of match practice.
"We had two days and haven't gained a
lot out of it from a preparation point of view, other than time on our
feet," coach Mike Hesson told New Zealand media.
Cricket Australia offered to find the Black
Caps better facilities in Sydney, but New Zealand will instead train at Allan
Border field in Brisbane ahead of the test at the Gabba, which starts on
Thursday.
While the abandonment was something of an
embarrassment for hosts Cricket Australia, Hesson was reluctant to lay blame.
"It's not anyone's fault, you just
can't grow any grass on the surface, and that's not the grounds man’s
fault," Hesson said.
"There are no hard feelings, we
understand they're going to try to help us get some practice facilities ahead
of the Test match."
New Zealand are bidding to win their first Test series in Australia in 30 years.