Cricket World Cup 2015: New Zealand plan to stay away from sledging Australia

NEW Zealand has banned its players from engaging in verbal warfare in Saturday’s trans-Tasman World Cup showdown.

New Zealand training

NEW Zealand has banned its players from engaging in verbal warfare in Saturday’s trans-Tasman World Cup showdown.

Black Caps great Sir Richard Hadlee has called the Pool A blockbuster at Eden Park the biggest game in New Zealand cricket since 44,000 fans turned up in Auckland in 1982 for the first match against Australia since the infamous “underarm” incident.

But the focus of Australian legends is still on the rumblings created by Shane Warne when he last weekend accused Darren Lehmann of rising above his station as coach.

Steve Waugh says the relationship between Lehmann and Warne is strained and it could be to the detriment of the team.

“I think they’ve gone beyond the chuckle point for this one,” Waugh said yesterday.

Macca’s take on the upcoming clash.

“There’s a lot of comments and then retraction of comments … ‘I didn’t say this, didn’t mean it that way’ … at the end of the day it’s something the team doesn’t need.

“It’s definitely unsettling for the team.”

However Waugh is expecting the players to quickly move on from the latest Warne drama.

“Warnie’s high profile. Whatever he says creates a headline,” Waugh told News Corp during a promotion to raise awareness for Saturday’s Rare Disease Day.

“I think the players will (say) ‘okay, that’s a bit unwarranted, we don’t really need it’.

“They’ll move on and be judged by what they do on the field.

“Hopefully if there are any issues they can be sorted out. You don’t want the leadership clashing.”

Waugh said in his day the captain was always the boss.

“(Ex-coach) John Buchanan probably summed it up best by saying he saw himself as a performance manager,” Waugh said.

“His job was to get the players in the right frame of mind so that when they walked on the park they could perform best.

“The captain lives and dies by his decisions and that’s the way it should be.

“Cricket’s a game where you’re out on the field for a long time and you can’t have someone holding your hand. You’ve got to survive by yourself out there.

“My role with Geoff Marsh was different to my role with John Buchanan but we worked it out and got on well.”

Hadlee believes this is the strongest one-day side New Zealand has fielded. But perhaps the most noticeable feature setting the Black Caps apart is their blanket ban on sledging.

“We don’t get caught up in that stuff,” New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said.

“We’re competitive but we pretty much focus on our own job.”

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