Pitch change at Gabba upsets Bracewell

Five days of rain at the Gabba and forecasts of more have forced a pitch change for the deciding game in the Chappell-Hadlee ODI series.

Five days of rain at the Gabba ground and forecasts of more have forced a pitch change for the deciding game in the three-match limited-overs cricket series between Australia and New Zealand.

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New Zealand won the first match on last Sunday in Melbourne by four wickets, and Australia took the second on Wednesday in Sydney by 17 runs. New Zealand staged comebacks in both, with Wednesday's rally falling short after the team came back from a near-impossible situation to make a close contest.

Australian and New Zealand selectors won't decide on their starting lineup until the last minute after the wet weather forced Gabba curator Kev Mitchell to switch pitches during the week.

Australian selector Trevor Hohns said on Thursday that a decision on whether to play four fast bowlers _ Brett Lee, Michael Kasprowicz, Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie _ would not be made until the wicket was assessed just before play.

"I know it's been raining, but it's a matter of having a look at the pitch and seeing what the conditions are like tomorrow," Hohns said. "So it would probably be a last-minute thing." Mitchell switched to a wicket that was played on last Saturday in a domestic one-day match that saw 470 runs scored. New Zealand coach John Bracewell said the change suited the home side. "We're not sure what the wicket is like because it's been changed two or three times depending on the results of the last two games," he said.