By Anthony Foster, Freelance WriterTHE TOURING New Zealand cricket team open their one-month tour of the West Indies at 10:00 a.m. today with a practice game against the University of the West Indies Vice Chancellor's XI at the Sir Frank Worrell Oval (former Mona Bowl).
Continuing rain last Friday had forced the organisers to call off today's game but there was a change of plans yesterday following two days of sunshine.
The New Zealand team which arrived here last Wednesday had been forced to do a lot of training indoors in the wake the inclement weather which dogged the island for ten days. Yesterday they had their first outdoor training at Sabina Park
Denis Aberheart, coach of the touring team, told the Gleaner in an interview on Friday that his team really needed some outdoor practice because after their aborted tour of Pakistan they went back into the southern winter.
Aberheart added that they were looking forward to a sunny Caribbean to do some practice and training here but had been frustrated by the wet weather. He said that made things a bit difficult to get the team ready for the first one-dayer against the West Indies on Wednesday.
Former West Indies captain and world record holder for most Test wickets, Courtney Walsh, will captain the Vice Chancellor's XI.
The Vice Chancellor's XI will also include four of the five Jamaicans who will tour England with the West Indies 'A' team. They are pacers Darren Powell and Jermaine Lawson who represent the West Indies at one-day International, Donovan Pagon and Keith Hibbert.
New Zealand squad: Stephen Fleming (captain), Nathan Astle, Shane Bond, Ian Butler, Chris Harris, Matthew Hart, Matt Horne, Paul Hitchcock, Craig McMillan, Chris Nevin, Jacob Oram, Daryl Tuffey, Scott Styris, Daniel Vettori, Lou Vincent.
