Martin eyes new-ball alliance with Bond

Chris Martin, the New Zealand seamer, has expressed his desire to team up with Shane Bond and the new ball at the international level. Neither are together on New Zealand's upcoming tour to Sri Lanka - Martin is in the Test side, Bond in the one-day squad - but Martin was keen to strengthen New Zealand's fast-bowling attack by forging a healthy pairing domestically.

Martin, 34, has returned to Canterbury for the 2009-10 season after spending the past four summers at Auckland and will share the new ball with Bond. "I think we can be a good partnership with the new ball," Martin told the Sunday Star Times."That's because both of us know what we're doing with the ball; our job is well-defined in our own mind and if you have two guys who are confident in what they're doing they can put on more pressure."

While New Zealand's selectors have often preferred contrasting bowling pairs, Martin hoped his similarities with Bond would not stop them sharing the new ball. "We both tend to swing it in at pace but Shane bowls a bit more full whereas I tend to whack it in shorter and look for more bounce, but we can complement each other because we both know what we're doing with the ball," he said. "And Shane's a genuine wicket-taker so anyone at the other end should be giving him the opportunity to bowl at one guy for as long as he needs to and I can do that role.

"It will be quite exciting to have him back and to have an opportunity to build on having two guys who should be at the top of their game and mentally be pretty relaxed about their job. And when Dan Vettori looks around the park to throw the ball to someone he will have more options."

According to Martin, in Bond's absence - he had quit to join the unofficial Indian Cricket League - New Zealand's bowling attack "has been steady without being world class but still gets the job done".

Martin and Bond have shared the new ball in only four Tests. While Martin will travel to Sri Lanka with the Test side, Bond will warm up for his international comeback by visiting India with New Zealand A in August.