Bump it up: Aussies keep focus during pandemic

Swapping handshakes for fist bumps was the only significant change in the way Australia's men's team went about their business under the cloud of the COVID-19 pandemic, says pace ace Pat Cummins.

Australia claimed the first Gillette ODI by 71 runs over New Zealand in an empty Sydney Cricket Ground as Cricket Australia, sporting bodies and governments around the world took drastic measures over the escalating threat of the coronavirus outbreak.

One of the adjustments players of both sides made was to forgo certain actions as a safety precaution, such as hand-to-hand contact, but Cummins said it did not impact the way his side played.

"I think we were pretty good. A lot more fist bumps than normal," Cummins said.

"We were pretty clear on making sure nothing really affected the integrity of how we actually played and not changing anything about how we normally go about the game.

"We're lucky in cricket that it's not a contact sport, you can try and avoid getting too close to each other so no-one really changed too much."

If ditching high-fives and handshakes was a slight adjustment, playing international cricket behind closed doors was a shock to the system.

The eerie sounds of appeals, well-timed shots and wicket celebrations echoed through the barren stands of the SCG on Friday, creating an atmosphere more like a practice match than a hard-fought Chappell-Hadlee Trophy contest.

The flat feeling in the iconic venue was addressed before play by the Australians, who made a concerted effort to ratchet up the intensity when the match began.

Fortunately for the hosts, openers Aaron Finch and David Warner provided the perfect start with a 124-run first-wicket stand.

"The way they started really set the tone and us bowlers, we feel like we've all played a lot now and we know what gets us motivated so there wasn't an issue there," Cummins said.

"That's always the worry in these sorts of games, especially after a long flight from South Africa. 

"It certainly helped with Finchy and Davey getting off to a great start."

Australia and New Zealand will lock horns again behind closed doors on Sunday in Sydney, where the hosts will be looking to secure just their third bilateral ODI series win in 11 campaigns.

The win on Friday snapped a five-game losing streak, which included a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of the Proteas in South Africa, a loss that is still on the minds of Cummins and his teammates.

"We were really confident going into that (South Africa) ODI series," he said.

"We've got a great bunch of players and blokes here but unfortunately couldn't get it done so this would be a nice way to end the one-day cricket for a while."

Gillette ODI Series v New Zealand

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey (vc), Pat Cummins (vc), Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Jhye Richardson (SA series only), Kane Richardson, D'Arcy Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.

New Zealand squad: Kane Williamson (c), Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Tom Blundell, Jimmy Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.

First ODI: Australia win by 71 runs

Second ODI: March 15 at SCG. 10.30am AEDT, Fox Cricket & Kayo

Third ODI: March 20 at Blundstone Arena. 2.30pm AEDT, Fox Cricket & Kayo