Vettori, Oram brace for baseball debut

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Former New Zealand fielding coach Travis Wilson has some simple advice to cricketers Daniel Vettori and Jacob Oram as they prepare to grace Major League Baseball (MLB) in Miami tomorrow (NZT).

Don't try to be too fancy.

Vettori and Oram, both big baseball fans, have been invited to throw the ceremonial first pitch at the Florida Marlins' home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks as they prepare for a weekend Twenty20 double-header against Sri Lanka in Florida.

Wilson, formerly with the Atlanta Braves in MLB, was quick to offer his thoughts.

"I'm probably going to try and throw it as straight as I can. Travis Wilson, our old fielding coach, has been in touch and all he wants is for us to get it as straight as we can or it's a bad look for his coaching," Oram said today.

Oram said the players were eagerly awaiting their meeting with the Marlins tomorrow, with the players from both codes set to combine for a pre-game skills session in baseball and cricket.

"There's five or six guys who are big baseball fans; myself, Scott Styris, Shane Bond and Dan Vettori are in a fantasy league which doesn't please our wives that much but kills some time when we're on the road," Oram said.

Killing time has been an issue for the New Zealanders this week after their early exit from the Twenty20 world championship at the hands of eventual winners England in the Caribbean.

The first of three scheduled exhibition matches against Sri Lanka in Florida on Thursday (NZT) was canned when the International Cricket Council (ICC) declared the floodlights at the Broward County Regional Park were unfit for hosting international cricket.

The series was reduced to back-to-back matches on Sunday and Monday (NZT).

Oram admitted the extended time in Miami was starting to wear thin.

"We're doing a lot of fitness training. Management have decided to pull the pin on cricket skills for about a week. Every morning we're putting yards in the gym or running the roads or the beach; the guys are working on their fitness.

"I've got to admit it is getting a bit boring. We're not great tourists and we're not getting out to see the sights so there's a lot of down time. That makes it a little bit tedious.

"But it's an unbelievable place and we're just looking forward to the game starting."

New Zealand have lost Jesse Ryder (elbow) and Bond (retired) from the Twenty20 world championship squad, but gained Wellington left-arm paceman Andy McKay who has recovered from a foot injury.

- NZPA