KEY POINTS:
Daniel Vettori's status as a fully fledged member of the all-rounder's club is about to take a giant leap forward with a likely move into the middle order.
New Zealand coach John Bracewell named his squad for the first two one-dayers and hinted that his captain - Stephen Fleming has been rested for the first two matches - will bat at either No 5 or 6.
"There may be a surprise in that we use Daniel Vettori in the middle because of his 'gapping' ability, in particular against spin," said Bracewell. "So there may be a shift there."
Vettori's elevation to the captaincy - a job he has done with merit in the past when Fleming has been injured - comes as the selectors try to rest their most important batsman and build up captaincy miles with their No 1 spinner.
The other significant shift is the much-heralded move to allow wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum to attack the new ball. He did the job admirably in the rain-affected Twenty20 international in Wellington on Friday night.
McCullum will open the innings with Nathan Astle and keep wickets, though it's highly likely a second keeper, probably Gareth Hopkins, will be named in the squad later in the series.
Bracewell said McCullum opening gives the side the opportunity to play a specialist batsman at No 7 with a view to "finishing" the innings. That job will fall to one of the Marshall twins, Hamish or James.
Hamish Marshall's credentials were backed by his coach, with Bracewell delighted by his output since being dropped at the end of the Champions Trophy tournament.
"He scored 170 in a warm-up game, he scored 150 in a first-class game and he scored 99," he said.
"He's been working on a few things with a couple of our specialists and they've been pretty happy with how he's been going. In particular, the selectors were delighted with the way he got his 99."
Another player carefully considered was Canterbury exile Craig McMillan. The veteran is said to have addressed his fitness issues and has put together some impressive numbers in domestic cricket this season.
"We're delighted with the progress he's made. We're in constant touch with him and his domestic coach."
Mark Gillespie, who went to the Champions Trophy but did not play a competition match, will make his international debut in game one or two.
Fleming, Jacob Oram and Shane Bond will return to the squad, injury permitting, during the series.
Bracewell also said that the selectors and management have reserved the right to make changes at any point to their squad for the Commonwealth Bank Cup, formerly the VB Series.
That gives them the opportunity to bring back the likes of Scott Styris and Kyle Mills at their leisure.
- HERALD ON SUNDAY
