New Zealand's Shane Bond (right) - File

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond said he is ready to sacrifice pace for accuracy and wickets in his bid to win the Cricket World Cup.

The spearhead of the Black Caps' attack was once the fastest man in the world, but according to him, he is mellowing, and wickets are now his top priority.

"There was time when I just wanted to go faster and faster but that has changed," he said on Saturday. "My role is to ensure that I get wickets and give the team an impactful start.

"I have sort of more relaxed nowadays and the ego is gone a bit. I have added skills to my bowling and I believe I am a better and more complete bowler now."

New Zealand play their first warm-up match against Bangladesh tomorrow at the 3Ws Oval at the Cave Hill campus of the University of the West Indies, and will take on Sri Lanka in their final match on Friday at the same venue.

Relaxation the key

The 31-year old Bond said the key in the early stages of the tournament was to remain relaxed.

"The key here so far is trying not to get too tense and don't get carried away. Just to stay relaxed and keep everyone else relaxed as well," he explained.

"This will be a very long tour so you will have to pace yourself and make sure you're strong all the way to the finish."

Gradual build-up

He bowled with good pace in the nets on Saturday and said it was a relaxing outing for him and his teammates.

"We all recognise we have a long, long way to go and we are looking at a gradual build-up before we face England in our first tournament game."

New Zealand will contest Group C of the preliminaries in St. Lucia against England, Kenya and Canada.