Black Caps won’t be overawed: Neesham

The new Australian vice-captain David Warner has toned down his aggressive approach in recent series and it remains to be seen how the home side under Smith will approach proceedings when the ‘Gabba Test kicks off next week.

There is good reason for the Kiwis wanting as much time as they can at the venue of the first test. It has not been uncommon for visiting teams to land in Australia with high hopes only to receive a brutal reality check first up from which they seldom recover.

The notion of an alternate ball to the red ball emerged many years ago when cricket authorities first looked at expanding Test cricket into the Day/Night format in pursuit of better crowds and more lucrative broadcast options.

“A team coming together under a new captaincy, it’s a great chance for Smith to mould his style of play and to get the team playing the style of cricket he wants”, Waugh told AAP on Tuesday.

Black Caps wicketkeeper BJ Watling says few players have experienced the notoriously bouncy and fast pitch.

But Cricket Australia’s head of cricket operations Sean Cary said he was not reading too much into the condition of the balls after Friday night’s match. “We’ve got to be on our game and make sure our plans are right for the Gabba”.

They have not lost a series since May 2013, winning home and away.

Waugh, whose twin Mark is one of the selectors, profited more than most players from being given time to prove himself.

New Zealand round off their preparation for the Test series with a three-day match against an Australian XI at Blacktown starting on Thursday.

“The ticket sales are fantastic for Adelaide and, a bit like World Series Cricket when it first started, people were sceptical, but once they got to the game they fell in love with it”. Australia and England are the only two places where people come to watch Tests, so we have to stimulate excitement and get people watching again.

However Watling, relishing the prospect of three tests in Australia, reckons New Zealand are in good shape. A three-test series here is brilliant.

By that they mean serving it up through actions rather than words.

“Players get on with it, they adapt, they get used to it and once they start playing they’ll forget about it”, he said.

And Watling ruled out any lifting the intensity of the on-field verbals as any sort of payback for the Australians attitude during the World Cup final in Melbourne where, led by retired wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, they dished out unwanted advice during the match, won comfortably by Australia. Sometimes it’s hard for players to understand that, but sometimes you’ve got to see the bigger picture for the good of Test cricket.