Windy Wellington marked a very low point for all of us. With two days of bad weather, nobody was sure what to expect from the wicket or the heavens on the match day.

Only eight days after hosting a major rugby tournament, the muddy new stadium looked as though it was struggling to dry in time for our game. Some debate ensued as to whether the game would actually start, but as the crowd arrived, a positive decision was made.

Having bowled first, the Kiwis posted a good target with some sensible batting and good partnerships. On a seam friendly pitch, we were probably not consistent enough with our bowling zones to put pressure on the New Zealand middle order. This was highlighted by the way the Kiwi bowlers attacked us with accurate bowling and energetic fielding. Before long we had fallen into a very deep hole and fell well short of the required target.

After a loss of this kind, it was very difficult to single out one reason for our poor performance, when everything seemed to go wrong. The post mortem discussion that followed offered many suggestions, all of which had a part to play. Perhaps we were caught out by the stormy conditions and slightly complacent as to the challenge ahead.

Meetings of this kind have a major effect on all players concerned and it was obvious that we needed to come back stronger than ever in the coming days. Our arrival in Napier allowed us the chance to get into the nets and work hard on an individual basis while building on the team confidence. We trained well and a charged game of football between `Youngies' and `Oldies' added a bit of spice to the day.

Flintoff pulls one in Photo Jeremy Snape

With Tuesday morning at leisure, we managed to organise a four-hour fishing trip out from Napier Harbour. Followed as ever by the roving Sky Sports crew, we suggested a few lines for their interviews. 'England all at sea' and 'Batsmen seen fishing again' were favourites, but thankfully we did take some catches! We enjoyed a wonderful day with calm water and clear skies. The ten-strong team managed to catch around 20 decent sized King Fish, which tasted fantastic on the boats BBQ and as with any fishing trip, photographic evidence is a must, so here they are!

Suitably refreshed and fully focussed, we moved on to the Napier game in good spirits. Nasser had decided to field the same team as in Wellington and made his point quite clear at the team meeting. "Eleven players messed it up in Wellington, so the same eleven will put it right here!" And they did, we got off to a good start again with both Nick and 'Tres' playing well. The middle order supported productively on a quick and bouncy wicket, allowing us to post a solid target close to 250.

Tasty too ! Photo Jeremy Snape

Our bowling was very disciplined and we got the rewards from these efforts by exerting pressure on the Kiwi batsmen. As we took regular wickets, they struggled to build partnerships and with an increasing run-rate, fell well short of our total.

The dressing room had the buzz again and it was a huge relief to have kept the series alive. We viewed the Napier game as a quarter-final contest, and with two more strong performances in Auckland and Dunedin, the trophy could still be ours. We need to stay focussed and work hard on playing positive but disciplined cricket.

For me, I am trying to force my way back into the final eleven but with longer term aims too, each day offers the chance to improve my cricket. In just a week, the one-day specialists will fly home to join our respective counties for pre-season training and embark on what promises to be a very exciting season. At Gloucestershire, we have made a few signings and look forward to having our pace attack fit at the helm in order to challenge for more trophies in 2002.

© Jeremy Snape