The 14-man team left Christchurch yesterday for matches against the Australian Academy and Queensland Academy sides.

The players have been set individual performance targets and non-playing observers will keep records of them, said coach and BIL academy director Dayle Hadlee.

``This more quantitive approach is being encouraged by NZC. For instance a bowler will be told how many balls he has put in the correct place or a batsman what scoring opportunities he has converted.''

Ross, NZC's player development officer, has been working the Academy members on measurable gains. He will take this analysis from the Commonwealth Games onwards when he is aligned with the Black Caps for the next year.

Apart from key performance indicators, game momentum graphs will also be produced, while there will be an emphasis on the ``fourth session'' after play when warm-downs, hydration, and food programmes will be monitored.

Hadlee said the group was looking forward to be playing outdoors again after spending the winter indoors working at the High Performance Centre at Lincoln University.

The matches, two three-dayers and two one-dayers against the Australian Academy, and two one-dayers against Queensland Academy, would be played at the newly developed Allan Border and Ray Lindwall grounds.

Busy season

Hadlee said both were new complexes of first-class standing with indoor and outdoor training areas, a lighted outdoor facility and artificial and grass surfaces.

The New Zealand Academy players will then return home to prepare for a series of matches against five of the major associations during October and two games against Pakistan A, which is competing in the Conference series, in the first week of November.

Hadlee said the pace bowlers' workloads would be carefully managed to ensure the risk of injury was minimised.

Bowlers at the Academy have been working on a diary, which has them gradually increasing workloads, Hadlee said.

He said pace bowlers at first-class level in New Zealand had been doing diaries to provide a more extensive research base.

Academy squad:

Tim Anderson, James Marshall, Bruce Martin (Northern Districts); Ryan Burson, Brad Doody, Glynn Howell, Chris Martin (Canterbury); Jarrod Englefield, David Kelly, Regan West (Central Districts); Mark Jefferson, Chris Nevin (Wellington); Kyle Mills, Lou Vincent (Auckland).