Stephen Fleming has given an honest appraisal of the BLACKCAPS performance ahead of their second Tri-Series match against Australia, in Sydney.
Fleming will lead a team out at the SCG without a win in three ODIs, and without a competition point in the current Tri-Series.
And the skipper has issued a rallying cry to his side.
“The mood is pretty determined but it’s also realistic,” he said.
“We know the areas we need to improve. We are not kidding ourselves, in the games we have played so far, we have under-performed.
“So we’re running out of games, looking at the World Cup, we want to reach the finals here, so to get three extra games, we‘ve got to start performing now.”
The BLACKCAPS last won in Sydney five years ago, with Brendon McCullum, Craig McMillan, Daniel Vettori and James Franklin the only BLACKCAPS likely to play in both games against the Australians.
Shane Bond, who took two wickets in the 2002 game, has been passed fit to continue on the tour but will not play against the hosts, or against England in Adelaide on Tuesday.
Team manager Lindsay Crocker confirmed recent scans had not found any major problems, but said the double header in Perth next week was the earliest he envisaged Bond’s return.
He added: “It’s proved normal, so that’s good. That really discounts all the major difficulties so there is nothing major going on.
“What we need to do now is give him some light training and tonight and tomorrow we’ll assess how he goes with that.
“He’s fine in his movements, he’s OK in the field, but it’s just when he ups the ante with the ball. I must stress, there’s nothing major going on.”
Ricky Ponting returns to captain the world champions, having sat out the four-wicket defeat of England on Friday.
Pace bowlers Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee returned to the side in Brisbane, allowing Ponting a full 15-man squad to choose from.
BLACKCAPS: Stephen Fleming (captain), Andre Adams, Nathan Astle, James Franklin, Peter Fulton, Mark Gillespie, Hamish Marshall, Michael Mason, Brendon McCullum, Craig McMillan, Jeetan Patel, Ross Taylor, Daniel Vettori.
Australia (from): R Ponting (captain), A Gilchrist, M Hussey, B Hodge, M Hayden, M Clarke, S Clark, G McGrath, A Symonds, B Lee, N Bracken, B Hogg, M Johnson, C White, B Hilfenhaus.
