The scoreline in the series has changed from 4-0 to 4-2 over the last one week and that is something we are not too happy about in the Kiwi camp. I have to admit that the boys have been found to be lacking in intensity a little bit over the last couple of games and the accuracy and focus that characterized our performance in the Tests and first four one-dayers is missing. To be fair to the guys, this was bound to happen since a sense of fatigue does set in after one's goal has been reached. Our goal was to win both the Test and one-day series. Now that our mission has been achieved it is indeed tough to keep the momentum going.

All this does not take away from the fact that the Indians are playing some very good cricket. I would not like to make excuses and take anything away from the way India has come back to restore some pride. Virender Sehwag's century in the last game is among the best you would ever see in not-so-ideal conditions. And on the bowling side, it was really amazing to see Zaheer Khan keep going in spite of the successive setbacks his team has faced.

While both Zaheer and Javagal Srinath are bowling quite well, our batting has not been too good. The conditions continue to have a huge impact on the cricket and both sides are still struggling in the batting department. It has been a war of attrition with the Indian batsmen also finding the going tough in both Wellington and Auckland, which is why the games were won by two wicktes and one wicket, respectively.

The Hamilton game is important for us because as the home side we would like to end the series on a winning note. This is the flip side of having a series decided in early, you have to keep manufacturing the pressure and the desire to win. Hopefully, this last game will have something in it for batsmen. The pitch looks quite brown a far cry from the green-top we had for the Test at the same venue. So I hope we will have a more traditional kind of one-dayer to end the National Bank series.

We have also had our share of niggles at the end of a long season. Nathan Astle is out of the side and we thought of trying Chris Harris at number three. It is something we would like to try again in the Hamilton game. Harris is a very effective batsman at five or six, so we were wondering how he would fare at one-drop. I'm quite confident he will take up the challenge and make a fist of it on Tuesday.

Chris Cairns has also made a quiet but promising return to top-level cricket. He is progressing nicely and has even given a go at bowling in the nets. The support staff is monitoring his bowling closely and we expect him to play as an all-rounder at some point in the World Cup.

Before I end, I would like to thank Sourav Ganguly for his supportive comments regarding questions about Kyle Mills' action. We're not experts here, but Kyle has been playing top-grade cricket for some time now, and no one has had problems with his action. He has never been called and I don't think he will have any problem at the World Cup either.

Other Articles by Stephen Fleming:

• We would like to end the series on a winning note (13 January 2003)
• New Zealand plan to take first strike (07 January 2003)
• Hoping for a bright start to the New Year (31 December 2002)
• India will bounce back in the ODI series (24 December 2002)
• A green wicket awaits at Hamilton (17 December 2002)
• India will find New Zealand a tough challenge (11 December 2002)

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