KEY POINTS:
Reporting on New Zealand cricket squad announcements these days is a bit like being lost in the jungle - it's hard to ignore the familiarity of the scenery and the overwhelming sensation that you're walking in circles.
So it was at the weekend when John Bracewell declared his intention to revert back to the opening batting system he tried two years ago, reasoning - after a couple of seasons of sheer comedy - that specialists were the way to go.
As a result, in came the formerly discarded and slightly bewildered Craig Cumming and out went the overstaying Hamish Marshall, who had only inherited the opening duties by accident during the Era of Experimentation.
Also chopped was the equally perplexed Peter Fulton, another to make a reasonable fist of his introduction to test cricket as a No 3, only to be hurled into an opening role this year in South Africa.
Fulton's folly was Mathew Sinclair's lucky break, the on-again off-again Central Districts' batsman receiving the nod ahead of Marshall, Lou Vincent and Ross Taylor.
Bracewell was also moved to name an extra seamer in a 13-strong squad for the first test against Sri Lanka, starting Thursday, possibly because of the knee injury suffered by Kyle Mills, possibly because of Shane Bond's notoriety.
Michael Mason and Iain O'Brien, two of New Zealand's leading pacemen in home conditions, will assemble with the squad in Christchurch, although one is likely to be cut on Wednesday.
Much interest today, however, will centre on the 31-year-old Cumming, who was making a decent fist of the opening position until Bracewell started with his mad scientist routine at the beginning of last year.
Up until then, Cumming had scored 74, 37 and 10 not out in six innings against the dominant Australians, and later added 47 in what was to be his last test before the axe fell, against Sri Lanka at Wellington.
James Marshall and Vincent were preferred for the two tests in Zimbabwe; Hamish Marshall and Jamie How were entrusted with the responsibilities at home against the West Indies, before Bracewell completely lost the plot in South Africa.
There, Hamish Marshall and Fulton opened at Centurion, Fulton and Michael Papps took over at Newlands, and Papps and How received the nod for the final test at the Wanderers.
Fulton returned with a series average of 16.25, Marshall with 15.50, Papps 14.25, and How 2.00.
Cumming's recall comes on the back of some prolific scoring in Dunedin club cricket and a bright start to the representative season, and probably has as much to do with the need for some maturity at the top of the order as anything else.
A compact right-hander, he is a strong campaigner on home pitches and a batsman who's been around long enough to understand his role, and the need to provide some protection for the middle order.
Earlier this year his newly adopted New Zealand side were 28 for six in the second innings of the first test at Centurion and three for two in the first innings of the third test at Johannesburg.
* Rain forced an early end to Sri Lanka's warm-up match against Otago at the University Oval yesterday.
Set an improbable 541 for victory, Otago retreated to the pavilion at 2.30pm when offered bad light - and rain duly arrived half an hour later to end proceedings with the hosts on 46 for two in their second dig.
Cumming was denied a meaningful opportunity to have another decent look at the Sri Lankan attack although his half century on Friday offered him some confidence ahead of the resumption of his test career.
A circumspect Cumming was not out on eight when play was abandoned after the scheduled tea interval.
NEW ZEALAND
Stephen Fleming (c), Craig Cumming, Jamie How, Mathew Sinclair, Nathan Astle, Jacob Oram, Brendon McCullum, Daniel Vettori, James Franklin, Shane Bond, Chris Martin, Michael Mason, Iain O'Brien.
- additional reporting NZPA
