If it takes an old head to do the job against the Proteas then it's difficult to go past 19th first-class ton of Peter Fulton in Nelson.
But when the mantra is always stuck on building for the future then you have to look at someone like Central Districts Stags captain William Young (102 runs not out) or left-hander George Worker (72) in his 50th Plunket Shield match.
No doubt it's a wickedly long shot to bring in No 4 Young for out-of-form opener Tom Latham in the Black Caps but No 3 Worker isn't too wild an option for someone who has opened in the white-ball format.
"Absolutely. I'd take it but that doesn't mean it'll happen," he said with a laugh, mindful that it's a specialist role and all batsmen go through lean patches. "If the call came obviously I would."
On day two at Saxton Oval yesterday, the Canterbury Kings added 91 runs to their overnight score before CD skittled them for 388.