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The New Zealand women's cricket team is bracing itself today for a backlash from the world champion Australian team after it lost the first match in the Shell Rosebowl series on Sunday.

New Zealand coach Mike Shrimpton said the visitors' pride would be hurt making them a more formidable opponent in the second game, also at Palmerston North.

``They will be stung a bit and gnashing their teeth no doubt,'' Shrimpton said.

Shrimpton, in his first season as coach, said he was impressed with the New Zealand team's ability to successfully chase runs.

New Zealand overhauled Australia's 227 for five in the final over, seven wickets down, on Sunday. ``Our past history shows we have struggled batting second and tended to panic under pressure when early wickets have been lost.''

Shrimpton said the likes of Kathryn Ramel, Rebecca Rolls, and Haidee Tiffen from Canterbury, in her first game against Australia, rose to the occasion.

Shrimpton said Australia was likely to opt for more defensive field placings at the start of the New Zealand innings after not protecting the fine leg and third man boundaries which allowed the home side to make a good start. However, Shrimpton expects better from his attacking bowlers who bowled too short at times, and both sides of the wicket, enabling world class opener Belinda Clark to prosper.

New Zealand's cause received a boost yesterday when another leading Australian player, Joanne Broadbent, who struck an unbeaten 76, ruptured an achilles tendon at practice.