Time to start afresh

Stephen Fleming: plenty of landmarks beckon in the new season © Getty Images Enlarge

New Zealand's tour to Bangladesh, their first for a full Test series, has a significance far beyond what might be expected for a match-up between the world's weakest Test nation and one that, until recently, counted itself among one of the strongest.

New Zealand have not won a Test since their success against South Africa in March, and they need a boost to their confidence. Just around the corner lurk home and away encounters against Australia - with a home series against Sri Lanka sandwiched in between - and the hesitancy which the side has displayed in the last four Tests, contriving to lose each one from a winning position, cannot be allowed to continue.

Also, New Zealand will have to adjust quickly from the low, slow pitches of Bangladesh to the livelier Australian decks. It could be a tricky situation for their players, but that is the lot of the modern international cricketer. Conditions in Bangladesh could favour swing bowling, which will be a test for the batsmen, who are coming out of an off-season, and for the bowlers, who have been chosen especially for their ability to swing the ball.

The team would also have to overcome the hot weather conditions and an opponent that will be playing in familiar conditions, but anything less than a series victory in Bangladesh will be unacceptable to the New Zealand fans. It will be a test of the team's ability to concentrate fully on their immediate goal, rather than the challenges that lie ahead in Australia.

Dhaka is not one of the most fashionable cricket capitals in the world, but it does hold a special place in New Zealand cricket history - although that fact is likely to have escaped the attention of the modern generation of players. Dhaka, or Dacca as it was then, was where, in 1969-70, Mark Burgess and Bob Cunis batted long enough to save the Test against Pakistan, allowing New Zealand to claim their first Test series win. (Those were the days when Dhaka was part of Pakistan.)

But there are personal milestones ahead for their captain, Stephen Fleming - landmarks that are important in cementing his place in the pantheon of New Zealand's all-time greats. Should he play both Tests, he will become New Zealand's most-capped player, beating Richard Hadlee's record of 86 matches. Fleming also needs only 110 runs to become New Zealand's highest run-scorer in Tests - currently, Martin Crowe leads the list with 5444. Given Fleming's success in Asia, there is every likelihood that he will achieve this milestone. His Test average there is 60.90, compared to his next-highest of 41.85 in the West Indies, and only 33.03 in New Zealand.

Fleming, though, still has some way to go before he can stake his claim as New Zealand's greatest in terms of batting average. His Test average, of 38.65, in tenth in the list. Among batsmen with at least 20 innings, Mark Richardson is on top, with 47.94, while Crowe, Glenn Turner and Andrew Jones all averaged in the 40s. Craig McMillan, who has an average of 40.07 from 52 Tests, couldn't even get into this side.

Among those in the current squad, Scott Styris scores 42.88 per innings, and Jacob Oram is currently on 39.73. Those might diminish over time, but both Styris and Oram are vital cogs in the New Zealand batting line-up, from whom plenty is expected in the future.

Fleming was guilty of throwing away starts far too often in the past, but over the years, he has become more consistent. In his last 25 Tests, he averages a highly respectable 42.41. Yet there still isn't the confidence about Fleming that surrounded Crowe, Jones, or Turner, when they strode to the wicket. Supporters knew that more often than not, the bowlers would pay dearly before those batsmen got out. It may well be that Fleming will achieve that kind of reputation towards the latter stages of his career.

Fleming also has the personal incentive to surpass his personal record of runs in a calendar year. His best haul was 631 in 2003, which included his career-best 274 not out against Sri Lanka. So far this year he has scored 409, and has four more Tests in which to get the remaining 223.

Already Fleming is clearly New Zealand's most successful captain, having led them to 20 victories, and he is easily the best catcher New Zealand has ever seen, with 125 scalps. What more prizes await him as another season opens?

Lynn McConnell is a journalist in New Zealand.