THIS week's Lloyds TSB Tri-Series will be no mere afterthought to the primary aim of departing these shores with pride intact from their encounters with England, insists New Zealand's Jamie How.
The youthful Black Caps have produced some aggressive cricket in their one-day series against England following their 2-0 Test series defeat to Michael Vaughan's men.
At Old Trafford and Trent Bridge, the Kiwis had looked adrift without the lea
dership and cunning that had previously been provided by long-time-but-now absent stalwarts such as Shane Bond and Scott Styris. "We were hurt by our performances," concedes How, who began the tour as stand-in captain due to Daniel Vettori's stint in the Indian Premier League.
"Young guys have stood up at important times and I'm sure that everyone, from coaching staff to the experienced players, to the younger players, have got a lot out of this tour. And we want to make sure we finish off with wins against Scotland and Ireland."
Momentum is something New Zealand will not want to cede in Aberdeen, not with a trip to Pakistan less than two months away. Not when defeat would be deflating and undo much of what has been reaped in a summer which was always going to be transitional, providing a baptism for the likes of Tim Southee without singeing him in a fire.
It will be only the second time the Celts have taken on the Kiwis in an ODI. Ireland were picked off amid their World Cup adventure of last year while the Saltires suffered an identical fate in 1999 at Raeburn Place, but there is still a kinship, How points out.
"We're a small nation as well and we're sometimes seen as bottom of the world and as a younger brother to Australia. We have a lot of hard work to do, in the Test arena especially. And that's similar to Scotland and Ireland. Sometimes us smaller nations aren't that far away from those glamour big boys."
The full article contains 338 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
