Following the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has called on his team-mates to offer the nation some "light relief" when they take on Australia tomorrow.

More than 75 people were killed by a 6.3 magnitude quake and many more people are still trapped inside collapsed buildings.

The Cricket New Zealand offices were hit, while Brendon McCullum and Hamish Marshall, who both hail from Christchurch, have opted to remain with the team rather than return home.

"The biggest thing we can do for people is win our next game against Australia. That will bring a little bit of light relief to some people going through a tough time," Vettori told www.blackcaps.co.nz.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in the Canterbury community."

New Zealand go into their second match with little game time behind them having breezed past Kenya in their first group game.

Having bowled Kenya out for 69, the Black Caps reached their victory target in just eight overs and Vettori hopes that powerful hitters such as McCullum and Martin Guptil, who did the damage against Kenya, can shine against Australia.

"I really believe that our top four or five can win this tournament for us," he said.

"To nullify Australia's attack we will rely on them and that will be one of the key challenges."

Vettori, the world's number-one ranked slow bowler in one-day cricket, is likely to pose one of the biggest threats to Australia, and vice-captain Michael Clarke is aware of how big a part spin has to play on the sub-continent.

"I would be very surprised if we don't get 20 to 30 overs of spin from any team," he said.

"I guess it's an area of our game where we continue to try and improve. It's an area we're individually all working on. In these conditions, how you play spin and how you bowl spin is going to play a huge part in this tournament.

"Daniel Vettori, the captain, is a very good bowler and has had a lot of success around the world. I'd imagine he'd be one of the best bowlers in these conditions throughout this tournament."