WELLINGTON, Feb 1: New Zealand Cricket (NZC) officials said on Tuesday they had dropped Hamilton as one of the venues for next month's one-day series with Australia following criticism about the state of the pitch.

The NZC said the match, the fourth in a five-game series, would now be played at Wellington's Basin Reserve on March 1. "The Basin Reserve presented us with the best option for a midweek match," NZC chief executive Martin Snedden said.

The Hamilton pitch was heavily criticised after last month's charity match against a World XI when the two teams made a combined score of 164 runs in a match that lasted only 36 overs. -Agencies