Daniel Vettori

By Mark Geenty of NZPA

Auckland, March 5 NZPA - They've proven they can win without Daniel Vettori, now New Zealand's cricketers face the big task of backing it up against Australia here tomorrow as their captain raised further doubts about his fitness.

As all the talk surrounded on-field fireworks between the two sides, Vettori gave a glum assessment of the chronic neck injury which saw him unable to bat or bowl in the Eden Park nets today.

Vettori will wait to test his fitness until just before the 12pm (NZT) start in tomorrow's second Chappell-Hadlee Trophy one-day international, but it appeared likely that Ross Taylor would again lead the side and spinner Nathan McCullum would return.

"I got through the fielding session well but I couldn't bat today so I'm just going to leave it until the last possible minute," Vettori said.

"I haven't even tried (bowling). I went and had a bat and was a bit sore. I got through the fielding session no problem, so I'm just hoping it frees up a bit tomorrow."

Vettori described it as an old whiplash injury from 13 years ago which was recurring but had never kept him out of a game. He was involved in a car accident as a teenager and suffered back and neck injuries.

New Zealand again showed how they lift a notch for Australia as they bowled superbly and fielded sharply in Napier to restrict the tourists to 275 for eight, then thanks to Taylor and Scott Styris knocked off the target to go 1-0 up in the five-match series.

This was without Vettori and big allrounder Jacob Oram, who tore the patella tendon in his left knee at McLean Park and is out for a month.

Tomorrow's task will be arguably harder against clearly the world's No 1 ODI side, stung by their two-wicket defeat in Napier where captain Ricky Ponting ripped into his players for under-performing.

The odds-setters shortened the tourists in to $1.37 to win game two, against New Zealand's $2.90.

If Vettori was ruled out for a second consecutive match, he would still play a big tactical role and remind them of a year ago when they led 2-0 in Australia only to draw a rain-shortened series 2-2.

"You never count Australia out of anything. We know they're going to come back hard and we know we have to match that," Vettori said.

"We've got a bit of history of resting on our laurels when we've played some good games. I've talked to the team long and hard about that, about trying to meet those improvements because we know how hard Australia are going to come at us."

While he laughed off a tongue-in-cheek question about whether a bench-clearing brawl could occur at Eden Park, it was clear more niggle was on the cards.

Styris clearly got under the Australians' skins as he guided New Zealand to victory, as paceman Mitchell Johnson lost his cool and was fined 60 percent of his match fee for initiating physical contact.

Vettori predicted another aggressive match, although both sides were wary of going too far after a warning from match referee Ranjan Madugalle.

"You have to match their intensity otherwise they wipe the floor with you. Any team who backs off against them will get themselves in trouble. We have to match them without going over the line."

One thing in New Zealand's favour is their five-match winning streak against Australia on home soil, stretching back to the final match of the 2005 series.

Vettori demanded his bowlers, led by Shane Bond, to maintain their standout efforts from Napier and the batsmen to kick on after promising starts.

Ponting was asking similar of his power-packed batting lineup which couldn't build on a dominant opening stanza in Napier, with Michael Hussey's 59 their best contribution.

A good pitch and short boundaries at the under-construction venue - which can only hold just over 10,000 fans - should ensure another high-scoring affair.