Aussies vow to keep foot down

Coach Darren Lehmann vows no let-up for New Zealand’s cricketers as his Australian side aim to build a pace quartet as feared as the West Indies of the 1980s.

It might be a dead rubber but Lehmann said his gun pacemen Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins will push on at the Melbourne Cricket Ground today (4.20pm NZT) as the hosts try for a 3-0 series sweep.

And the most-discussed 12th man of the past week, allrounder Glenn Maxwell, may well get his first run of the series on his home ground, Lehmann hinted after he was fined by the leadership group for ‘‘disrespectful’’ comments about his Victorian captain and Australian team-mate Matthew Wade.

Lehmann said it was unlikely either Starc or Hazlewood would be rested despite the Chappellhadlee Trophy already being secured and the first of three tests starting against Pakistan next Thursday.

‘‘I’d be thinking they’ll be playing. They have to bowl some overs and get ready for Brisbane anyway. And they’re fine, they’ve pulled up OK,’’ Lehmann said.

‘‘Unless something happens in the next 24 hours I’d expect them to play. I know the captain’s quite keen for them to play.’’

That may mean more ducking and weaving for New Zealand’s bruised batsmen.

Jimmy Neesham was still clutching an ice pack to his right arm in the indoor nets at the MCG yesterday after he was struck by a nasty bouncer in Canberra.

Asked if he’d been surprised by New Zealand’s sloppiness in the field and with the ball in games one and two, Lehmann simply felt Australia were too good.

‘‘I think they [New Zealand] are a very good side, as we’ve seen the game of cricket can work in weird ways.

‘‘They had a really good test series against Pakistan, they’ve got some quality players, and we’ve just played better cricket at the moment.

‘‘That’s not to say that won’t change tomorrow.

‘‘I think they’ve got world-class players. When you get 370 it’s always going to be hard to chase down, we batted really well and they probably didn’t bowl as well as they’d like, which was the same for us two weeks ago when we didn’t bowl or bat as well as we’d have liked. But they’re a good side.’’

Cummins was the pick of the Australian quicks at Manuka Oval with 4-41 including the prized wicket of Martin Guptill as the Black Caps were dismissed for 262 chasing a mammoth 379 for victory.