BRISBANE (Reuters)
New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming was in upbeat mood about his team's prospects when they arrived for a three-Test tour of Australia.

World champions Australia won 3-0 in New Zealand last year but Fleming said: "I rate (our chances) very highly. If you do anything less, there is no point in coming over here. We had a great series in New Zealand against Australia, with chances in every Test, and the belief comes when you start turning those situations in your favour."

New Zealand have been lifted by the return from injury of allrounders Chris Cairns and Dion Nash, and left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori. "I'm very happy to have a very strong squad here because we've gone through some very tough times trying to introduce new players over the last 18 months," Fleming added.

The New Zealanders arrived ahead of schedule in Australia because they have arranged extra games after their planned tour of Pakistan was cancelled for safety reasons due to the U.S.-led strikes against neighbouring Afghanistan.

New Zealand's first tour match is a four-day game against a Queensland second XI in Brisbane starting next Tuesday. The first Test against Australia starts in Brisbane on November 8.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd