Chris Martin: "I'm leaving the country without my ego" © AFP Enlarge

Chris Martin, the New Zealand seamer, has expressed surprise at being selected for the Twenty20 World Championship but hoped he would excel in the tournament. "I'd scheduled this time of the year to do a few university studies," Martin told the Press.

Martin, who will share the new ball with Shane Bond, was picked as John Bracewell, New Zealand's coach, wanted specialists to play in the tournament. "The likelihood of me having to bat is quite minimal and you need to have specialists at either end, I think," Martin said.

Martin said the Twenty20 format would be harsh on the bowlers. "I'm leaving the country without my ego, I think," he said. "If I can go at under ten an over then I'll be happy, so it's not usual for any type of cricket I've played in the past."

Martin said he had only played about half a dozen games of Twenty20, but had enjoyed them. "It's got a nice speed to it, which you sort of get used to - performing under quite intense pressure," he said. "And the crowds come along to watch as well which is quite a bonus.

"People are still learning how to play it and there are some countries around the world that have played it a lot more than New Zealand. So for us to arrive with the right game plan and the right philosophy will be quite important to us doing well. It's also one that I'll hopefully look back on as being a highlight."

Meanwhile, Brendon McCullum, the wicketkeeper, hopes to bat up the order and take charge of the innings with some big-hitting. McCullum started his international career as an opener before dropping down the order.

"I have a little bit of responsibility to try to score a big innings somewhere along the line," he said. McCullum was looking forward to play with his brother Nathan McCullum, who was picked for the tournament for his all-round skills. "It'll be good," Brendon said. "I caught up with him last week and I know he's pretty excited."

The offspinner Jeetan Patel, who is suffering from flu, has been working on pitching the ball in the blockhole at the indoor nets. "Being able to hit the hole is a big part of Twenty20 so I've been working on that, but it seems a little bit fake doing it indoors so I can't wait to get away and start doing some real work," Patel said.