Shane Bond hit the ground running on his international cricket return today, saying Australia had received an easy run all summer and his New Zealand side were "a huge chance" of regaining the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy.
Bond assembled in Wellington with his New Zealand teammates, ahead of Australia's arrival tomorrow for their first full tour in five years, starting with Friday's Twenty20 opener here.
For a fast bowler with 35 one-day wickets against Australia at 14.45, Bond is ably qualified to comment and he insisted the side were in a good mental state ahead of the two Twenty20 internationals, the annual five-match Chappell-Hadlee series then two tests.
"Even though (Australia) have played bloody well they've had a relatively easy run in terms of the pressure they've been put under. Hopefully we can put them some huge pressure and I think if we do that we've got a huge chance," he said.
The Canterbury paceman missed the Bangladesh series to rest an abdominal tear which saw him call time on his test career, but after several outings for his province then 13 overs for his club on Saturday he said he felt ready.
As always with Australia looming, there was a spring in Bond's step and an air of expectation in his voice.
Injuries have restricted him to just one ODI against the old enemy in the past three years - the Champions Trophy final defeat in South Africa last October.
He was absent for last summer's 2-2 thriller across the Tasman when New Zealand were on track to win the decider in Brisbane only for rain to intervene. It left the overall Chappell-Hadlee ledger between the sides poised at seven wins apiece.
"You call back on all those results that you've had against them (Australia). It's just having that ability to lift your game again when you come up against them.
"They're a strong side but there's a lot of new faces as well so from my point of view you take heart that you've probably faced stronger Australian sides."
Michael Clarke will lead the tourists off the plane tomorrow containing several unfamiliar faces such as Travis Birt, Daniel Christian and promising batsman/legspinner Steven Smith; but still plenty of ammunition with the big-hitting David Warner and a powerful fast bowling battery led by Shaun Tait, Dirk Nannes and Mitchell Johnson.
Regular skipper Ricky Ponting will join in for the first ODI in Napier next Wednesday to resume his joust with Bond who has dismissed him six times in 10 ODI meetings.
Ponting's numbers in New Zealand are outstanding: 293 runs at 97.66 in the 2005 test series; 525 runs at 58.33 in 13 ODI's and 98 not out off 55 balls in the 2005 Twenty20 match.
"It's been a while since I got him out... but against those blokes I always believe if I bowl as well as I can then I'll have success. That's all I've tried to do, bowl my best stuff and keep coming hard at them because they'll come hard back. I think that's why results have gone my way," Bond said.
With Bond and allrounder Scott Styris back, plus the hitting power of Ross Taylor and Jacob Oram and the self-belief of recent close contests, the ODI series should be tightly-fought but it's the test series that will cause anxious glances among New Zealand cricket followers.
On evidence of the Bangladesh win, concerns remain over the top-order and the ability of the bowling attack to take 20 wickets against Ponting, Clarke, Shane Watson, Michael Hussey and company.
Bond will be absent along with Iain O'Brien, which will leave the onus on Chris Martin to lead the way and captain Daniel Vettori to toil on pitches in Wellington and Hamilton that the home side hope will assist spin bowling.
