In my last column, I had mentioned how important it is for a home side to end their season on a winning note, and I’m proud that the guys stood up to the challenge of doing just that. It was also crucial that we went to the World Cup with a 5-2 series win behind us rather than a string of three consecutive defeats against India.

Once again the bowlers did the job on a track that admittedly assisted them. It was good to see them bowl on one side of the wicket after the waywardness that had set in at Auckland. The runs required were also scored with ease if you take into account the fact that the pitch was still assisting the bowlers.

Plenty has already been said about the pitches in this series, and there is nothing to add. All I would say is that the pitch was the same for both sides, and in the Tests, the toss was pretty much nullified by the nature of the wicket. Our batsmen stuck to the basics a lot better, which is why we won both at Wellington and Hamilton. I would also add that the conditions were tough on Indians who did not have much match practice before the Tests, so judging them on the basis of those four innings would be grossly unfair.

As far as the one-dayers are concerned, once again the conditions were less than ideal. It was evident that the Indian batsmen were a little short on confidence at the start of the one-day series, so we knew that we would have to win the series before the Indians had time to pick up the pieces. For me, the bowling of Daryl Tuffey and Andre Adams was the biggest gain. It was great to see Adams come back so strong after injury. Chris Cairns also looked like he is slowly getting into stride before the World Cup.

On the negatives, the injuries to Nathan Astle, Shane Bond and Jacob Oram are worries, but I’m sure they will be back on their feet in time for the World Cup.

This has been a great way to end the series, but I would still like to react to some of the talk that we are one of the favourites with some humility. There are better sides in the fray, but we are certainly not out of it. Similarly, I am sure that this result is not a sign that the Indian campaign in the World Cup will be a non-starter. In fact, the setbacks in New Zealand might just act as a spur for some of the talented players in the side to prove themselves on a big stage.

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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