Cricket: Banner catches Vettori out

Black Caps skipper Daniel Vettori says Jesse Ryder's fitness will determine if they pick an extra bowler. Photo / Getty Images

If timing is as important as they say in cricket, then it would be hard to beat this: as New Zealand captain and selector Daniel Vettori was discussing the options for replacing a certain tall allrounder, a Tui "Yeah, right" billboard hove into view, poking fun at the injury status of Jacob Oram.

It's fair to say Vettori found humour in the lampooning of his erstwhile team-mate, though replacing him is no laughing matter. Whether disarmed by the coincidental turn of events or just ushering in a new policy of frankness, Vettori is remarkably candid about how he sees his side replacing Oram in the upcoming test series against Pakistan.

"It depends on Jesse [Ryder] to a large extent," Vettori said. "If he's fit, then he can play that extra bowler role, with back-up perhaps from someone like Grant Elliott."

That would negate the need for an allrounder in the No6 position and that would open up a spot for the likes of BJ Watling or Elliott (who is seen as a batsman who can chip in with a few overs). However, if they lost the overs Ryder could produce, then they had to squeeze another arm into the mix, "so I'll probably jump into the No6 spot", Vettori said.

It must have been a curious experience attending your first proper roundtable selection pow-wow and finding yourself the subject of some of the most vigorous debate?

"I guess the first thing I've got to point out is that I was just one of four guys on the panel," Vettori said, wary of all the attention he has had in the aftermath of the squad selection for the tour to Abu Dhabi to play Pakistan. "There was plenty of debate about whether we went with six batsmen or look to fill the position with another allrounder and I was part of the discussions. In that case you've got to remove your personality, or ego, from the argument, but at the same time recognise that my view on it needed to be heard."

As it runs out, it is Ryder's pelvic injury that will have the biggest say on that decision, just as it will on the other selection issue: the role of Brendon McCullum's bat in one-day internationals.

McCullum will open in the three-match ODI series to be hosted at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, starting on November 3.

Where he will bat when Bangladesh arrive here in February will depend a lot on how he performs in those three matches.

"With Jesse injured we decided we didn't want to change the entire opening line-up," Vettori said of the date with Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.

Vettori was at pains to point out that it was not so long ago the Ryder-McCullum opening partnership was viewed as the future of New Zealand short-format cricket, but also acknowledges there is merit to the idea of moving his keeper back down the order.

"The way the game is going [with batting powerplays], it has become more important to have a guy down the order who can finish your innings off," Vettori said.

"We've fallen over a few times recently in the late stages so that's maybe an option for later in the summer but, at the moment, Brendon's got the opportunity to open against Pakistan."

McCullum's preference is still to open, Vettori believes. "He sees opening as the opportunity to win games for your team 10 out of every 10 times you bat, whereas when you're batting down the order you don't get that many opportunities.

"The other thing is that if you look at his record as an opener, it is pretty good. Where the criticism is that he hasn't turned enough of his starts into centuries and really big scores.

Vettori was up-front about the possibility of Northern Districts' 19-year-old Kane Williamson being elevated to national colours.

"The feeling is we'd like to see him go away and score another heap of runs but, who knows, if he scores heavily at the start of the domestic season, then he will put pressure on us to pick him."