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Fitness trials for Chris Cairns and Geoff Allott could decide New Zealand's fate in the final Test against England, starting at the Oval tomorrow, and the series, presently drawn 1-1.

Though the tourists' coach, Steve Rixon, refused to commit himself in training yesterday beyond admitting that the coming 24 hours ``would be crucial'', the prognosis for Cairns does not look good. He did only light exercise at the ground and afterwards seemed to find even the steps up to the dressing room from ground level something of an ordeal.

Cairns twisted his knee while bowling against Essex at Chelmsford over the weekend and was still carrying a noticeable limp during practice at the Oval.

Allott, who missed the last Test and suffered a recurrence of his back trouble at Chelmsford, was excused practice but will have a run-out before the New Zealand selectors draw up their battle plans.

Simon Doull has already gone home and the tourists face the possibility of Dion Nash sharing the attack with Shayne O'Connor and the uncapped Andy Penn.

If England win, Stephen Fleming, the New Zealand captain, will look back on the Manchester weather during the final days of the Test there as a cruel steak of bad luck which may have robbed them of the series.

Fleming was ``philosophical'' about the turn of events at Old Trafford. While most of the final day was washed out, his view was that ``it was losing the final hour or so of the fourth day which really hurt us''.

Rixon shrugged off the innings defeat by Essex and refused to read anything significant into the game in terms of preparation for the confrontation with England. ``I only hope England think we are jaded,'' he said. ``That will suit us very well.''

England's Chris Silverwood was excused practice and allowed to be at home in Yorkshire with his wife, who was readmitted to hospital after an accident. He is expected to join the England party today.

Leicestershire's Darren Maddy was hoping for better luck by going out with Michael Atherton last night and learning the secrets of opening the batting at Test level.

Maddy, who played two one-day internationals last summer but failed to make the transition, believes he put too much pressure on himself. ``But now I have put that disappointment behind me,'' he says.

Ed Giddins, another new face, attributes his elevation to Test status to the time he has spent ``grooving'' on the cricket circuit.

``I don't feel under any real pressure now,'' he says. ``Four years ago I would have had nightmares. Then I had only had one year's decent cricketing experience. There is no substitute of experience. My poor performances are now few and far between.''

Giddins has one peculiar connection with the Oval. Somewhere in the ground are stored 500 Christmas tree stands, the result of a winter business operation he has been pursuing with Surrey's Nadeem Shahid.

A good performance against New Zealand - Giddins believes the surge of adrenalin he will feel as soon as he crosses the boundary ropes will give him that extra edge - and he will probably be spending the coming Christmas in South Africa with England, rather than trying to sell more trees.

David Graveney, England's chairman of selectors, has hit back at former England coach David Lloyd for asserting that new Test players Chris Read and Aftab Habib were ``traumatised'' by the dressing-room atmosphere.

Graveney said: ``I have no evidence to suggest that the young players are treated any differently at any stage since I've been involved and I have probably spent more time in the dressing room than David.''