Cyclonic Cairns can't wipe away Black Caps' woes

Chris Cairns unleashed one of his cyclonic knocks today to lift the chins of a New Zealand touring squad which still believes it can knock over Steve Waugh's Australians next week.

Cairns hammered an unbeaten 119 in 81 balls in a drawn match against the Queensland Academy of Sport, proving he is ready to dish out similar punishment to an Australian team he tortured in New Zealand last year.

Craig McMillan also warmed up for the first Test on Thursday week with an unbeaten 116 at Allan Border Field, as New Zealand reached 8-498 in its first innings in reply to the Academy's 6-477 declared.

Cairns was outstanding, blasting seven sixes in his 67-ball century, but the batting hasn't been a problem since the New Zealanders arrived two weeks ago.

The bowling is causing pain, and the Black Caps have just one match to get it right.

So far, the visitors have been thrashed by batsmen who don't play regular state cricket, leaving a huge doubt over whether they can dismiss Australia twice in five days.

The QAS treated them like net bowlers yesterday and the ACT Invitation XI were hardly bothered by them last weekend, knocking up a combined score of 12-955.

The Black Caps have been unable to maintain pressure without topline spinner Daniel Vettori, whose injury left a huge hole in the bowling attack, but captain Stephen Fleming was positive heading into Thursday's opening first-class match against Queensland.

"It would be wrong to say we weren't concerned with yesterday's performance but we have to keep it in perspective," Fleming said.

"We would have liked to bowl sides out and we haven't made inroads into any side and as long as that continues it develops anxieties but you just push on.

"But we are a lot further down the track than the results would suggest.

"Chris Cairns won't bowl like that again because he is too good a player and it's great to have Dion Nash back. I'm very satisfied with where he's at."

Cairns and Nash are the key hopes for the Black Caps and both are returning from injury breaks.

Cairns conceded 25 boundaries from his 25 overs yesterday while Nash showed promise, escaping significant punishment from the bats of Lee Carseldine (200 not out from 188 balls) and Jerry Cassell (163).

But paceman Daryl Tuffey didn't help with an erratic performance and the spinners were in danger of hurting their necks as they watched their deliveries dispatched across the ground.

Paul Wiseman went for 36 runs from six overs and Glen Sulzberger, whose name read G.S.Berger on the scoreboard, almost had to go to the nearby McDonald's outlet to retrieve a six during his four overs for 43 runs.

"We're under no illusions about what we need to do," Fleming said.

"It was a big hammer blow when Dan went down but we can't do much about that.

The Black Caps had a much better day at Border Field today, with young batsman Lou Vincent (136) joining the list of century-makers.

His careful knock was almost buried beneath the Cairns-McMillan avalanche but it gave tour selectors another player to consider for the three Test series.