KEY POINTS:
The West Indies and India are heading this way for a potentially eye-catching home international season.
But first, there's the small matter of Australia at hand.
The Aussies - their recent spot of difficulty in India notwithstanding - have a finely honed ability to find soft spots in
their opponents' armoury.
So it follows that if you succeed against the team rated No 1 in the game since Tim Southee was at kindergarten it bodes well when you get back to home conditions.
The Australian series should help resolve important points about this New Zealand team. There's no doubt hard questions will be asked of Dan Vettori's men. How New Zealand respond could provide an insight into what lies ahead later in the summer.
The national selectors - Glenn Turner, Dion Nash and coach John Bracewell - should have enough information out of these two tests to fill a notebook or two. Here's four points they will be cognisant of as they watch New Zealand build on a terrific opening day at the Gabba yesterday ...
1: DOES THE MIDDLE ORDER HAVE A FUTURE?
On the face of it, the quartet of Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor, Brendon McCullum and Daniel Flynn at Nos 3, 4, 5 and 6 has two things going for it - age and entertainment value.
At 27, McCullum is almost a father figure to the others, who are respectively 24, 24 and 23.
If it works, it has serious potential as a long-term foursome, but there are a couple of issues.
McCullum's prime job is keeping. Can he perform with the big gloves at his optimum and be in a pivotal batting spot, and produce runs regularly?
Time will tell on that. He's averaging 33.9 over the past five tests in which he has been moved up the order.
Ryder is playing his third test in Brisbane, Taylor his 11th and Flynn his sixth. Ryder and Taylor are shotmakers, just as McCullum is a dasher too.
Flynn, while capable of scoring fast, is shaping up as the anchor man. Is No 6 the ideal spot for a 5000m man after three 200m athletes?
While he finds his feet that's fine, but in time No 5 could be his role, in part to break up the fast men. But if it all works in Australia, that will be a highly encouraging start.
2: THE CASE OF TIM SOUTHEE
Yesterday's first hour at the Gabba reinforced the 19-year-old's potential. His three-wicket burst in helpful conditions - Matthew Hayden, Simon Katich and Ricky Ponting in one burst on your CV? That will do nicely - justified his inclusion at the expense of the far more experienced Kyle Mills.
Southee has plenty of developing to do. Considering the pile of cricket, in all three forms, that potentially lies ahead of the young man, it's important that New Zealand Cricket manage him smartly.
National coach John Bracewell said the one good thing out of the postponed Champions Trophy in September was giving players a chance to rest and recondition - to use a shop-soiled rugby term - before embarking on a full-on 18 months.
He mentioned Southee as a prime case in point. Think of the future of New Zealand cricket and he's front and centre.
3: OPENING UP
Jamie How is shaping up nicely, but needs a decent score or two in Australia. So what's happening at the other end?
At the moment, Aaron Redmond is in possession, but Australia shapes as a massive inquisition.
He battled in England against the swinging ball - to be fair, he wasn't alone among a batting contingent which singularly failed to put any pressure on their hosts - and had one solid innings in Bangladesh, his 79 helping push New Zealand to victory in the first test at Chittagong.
Redmond's technique will get a harsh examination in Brisbane and in Adelaide next week.
After Adelaide, he will have had seven tests. His average is 20.44. Will he survive to face the West Indies and India at home later in the summer? If he can succeed against the Aussies he'll deserve another chance.
If not, the selectors may look elsewhere. But where precisely? There's the rub.
The most in-form of the domestic openers is Matthew Bell, whose 18th first-class century for Wellington against Canterbury this week established a new record for tons for one province.
But the selectors have been there twice. A third time is unlikely.
Michael Papps? BJ Watling? Tim McIntosh? Craig Cumming? Hmmm.
4: TICKER FOR THE BATTLE
Always something to look for when facing Australia: Who has the heart for the scrap when things get difficult?
You'll often hear Aussies argue an opponent's merits not only by what numbers they achieve when playing on Australian soil, but also if they reckon a player has "ticker".
If they sense a player is not really 'there' they have an aversion to going easy, and there's any number of victims who'll testify to having experienced an uncomfortable time in the middle against the baggy greens.
Ming the Merciless was a fair-minded, amiable chap compared with this lot.
Survive the Australian inquisition, get out the other side with mental game intact - particularly young men like Flynn, Ryder and Southee - and they'll be all the better for it.
