NZ's World Cup campaign begins

• NZ's World Cup campaign begins
  Jacob Oram batting - Source: Photosport

New Zealand's assault on the one-day cricket World Cup starts in earnest against Pakistan today but they have plenty to prove before they can be regarded as a genuine contender at the showpiece event.
A win in the first of six one-day internationals against the tourists would be a good start, given New Zealand's dreadful recent record in the 50-over format.
The hosts carry an 11-match losing streak into the series and must quickly put that behind them if they are to reassociate themselves with buzzwords such as momentum and confidence heading into the subcontinent-hosted World Cup, which starts on February 19.
On paper, New Zealand have plenty of firepower but this series is about getting the big players in form, and in the right batting positions.
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori yesterday revealed that opener Brendon McCullum would drop down to No 6 today, with Martin Guptill to open alongside Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor to bat at No 3, Scott Styris at No 4, James Franklin at No 5 and Jacob Oram at No 7.
Vettori said there would be a degree of experimentation as they search for a balanced lineup that gives them power at the top and at the end of an innings.
"The responsibility is still on the top order, you look at most one-day games and the top four gets the job done," he said.

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"We're putting (Taylor) up to No 3 to give him the maximum opportunity, but if you can have that strike force at Nos 6,7 and 8 it can make a big difference, too."
The captain was keen to bed down the batting order quickly, however, given the short timeframe between now and their opening World Cup match on February 20.
"I don't think we want to get too carried away with trying things, the most important thing is for us to win," he said.
"I think you can be flexible with the bowlers because the conditions may vary but if we can be pretty sure of what the right batting order is going into the first game, that's pretty important.
"It's also important that someone like (uncapped left-arm spinner) Luke Woodcock gets a game or two so he's got a feel for international cricket."
New Zealand's potential to bat deep suggests they may be suited to chasing rather than setting targets, though Vettori was unsure what he would do should he win the toss today on a Wellington Stadium wicket which has produced wide-ranging first innings scores.
"It's usually a 230-240 deck, sometimes worse," he said.
"We really like playing there and I think we've got a pretty decent record there. We beat Australia last year by setting them 240-odd and bowling well so it's a tough one."
Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi was buoyed by the 1-0 test series win and looking forward to ramping up their World Cup preparations.
"In the buildup to the World Cup, it would be good for our morale to win every game, every victory is very important now and that's what we want to do in this series."