It is now official, New Zealand's Black Caps form has hit rock bottom.

Today's humiliating nine-wicket loss to Sri Lanka at Eden Park drew that admission from skipper Stephen Fleming.

It has been a season of great highs. The first New Zealand success at a world tournament when winning the ICC KnockOut and winning the Test series over Zimbabwe is at the opposite end of the spectrum that New Zealand finds itself now.

As if the playing decline has not been enough, there has also been the constant upheaval caused by injury depletion of the side, especially some of its most senior members.

After Saturday's loss in Wellington Fleming was asked if the team was at rock bottom and said he wasn't prepared to concede that.

But after today, and some of the most disappointing dismissals perpetrated by New Zealand batsmen, who played a selection of shots that were lamentable in their execution and inexcusable in their intent, Fleming faced facts.

"Now is the lowest point of the majority, if not all, speaking personally, the lowest point of many careers," he said.

"Today reeked of tentative decision making, guys lacking a little bit of confidence a little bit of courage to play their normal game. They [Sri Lanka] bowled well enough to reinforce those feelings but we never got anything going. We got a little bit of momentum going and then we lost another wicket.

"And it doesn't send jitters it sends shockwaves when the team is not responding well to this kind of pressure," Fleming said.

"It's obviously an area I've never been in before.

"It's testing everything I stand for in the game and when that happens you look at a lot of things and you probably search too much. I think the way I started out there today was a sign that things are weighing a little heavy and I've got to shake that off and concentrate on the simple things.

"There's a big job ahead but it's one that I've got to say I'm looking forward to even though this is the hardest point I've been in," he said.

Again Fleming said there was no way of pin-pointing the problems that are afflicting the side, especially the batsmen who have hardly fired a shot in the ODIs in New Zealand this summer.

It was a personal thing for the players themselves to work out.

© CricInfo