KEY POINTS:
Test bolter Grant Elliot might want to buy Jesse Ryder a thank you mineral water the next time they meet.
The South African-born allrounder took the spot reserved for Ryder as the New Zealand selectors yesterday named their squad of 13 for the first test against England starting Wednesday at Hamilton.
The 28-year-old from Johannesburg, he is the first South African-born player to be selected in a New Zealand test squad.
He found out yesterday when a typically unemotional Glenn Turner, one of four selectors, gave him a tap on the shoulder.
"It was quite quick. He said, 'You're in the 13-man squad', I said 'Thank you Glenn' and that was the extent of our conversation.
"I sat down in the changing room and I thought to myself 'Whoa, I've still got to go out and bowl."
Elliot said he never had an indication he was on trial. He, Jamie How and Ross Taylor were named in the squad after missing the 2-0 romp over Bangladesh.
How will open in place of the struggling Craig Cumming while Taylor takes the place of the injured Peter Fulton, whose place must have been in jeopardy anyway following a string of poor scores.
New Zealand selector Dion Nash said Fulton was unavailable for selection due to a recurrence of a right knee injury though he did take the field for the Invitation XI side yesterday in their rain-ruined match against England. He will be reassessed before the second test in Wellington which starts on March 13.
Elliot, 28, was considered for the Twenty20 World Cup squad in September and has played for Wellington since the 2005-06 season after originally coming to New Zealand to play club cricket in Christchurch after a stint in the Netherlands.
He has previously represented New Zealand A.
Including his time with his native Transvaal, Elliot has fashioned a solid yet unspectacular first-class record, scoring 1506 runs at 27.38 with three centuries and eight 50s. For Wellington this season he averages 23.42 with a best of 64 in the State Championship while in the domestic one-day competition he has superior stats of 323 runs at 64.60 and a top score of 91 not out.
Elliot made one appearance for the South African A side before leaving the republic in 2001 to play in Holland for the HBS club. Now he is settled in the capital with his Dutch partner and there is no doubt where his allegiance lies.
"As soon as I arrived in New Zealand and made it my home I had aspirations for playing international cricket for New Zealand.
"It's a really tough move to make, you always grow up thinking you're going to be a Springbok or a Protea and then you make that change to another country," he said. "When I played for New Zealand A (in Australia last winter), when I opened the bag and saw the silver fern - that was a real indication that New Zealand's my home and I'll give everything for New Zealand."
His selection chances were clearly enhanced by removing Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood cheaply on Thursday before scoring 28 in difficult conditions.
Nash said he was identified as a solid middle order batsman while he also had the ability to swing the ball, adding another option to a seam attack spearheaded by Chris Martin and Kyle Mills.
"He's been chipping away nicely for Wellington and did an 'A' tour for us last year," Nash said.
"What he showed us in Dunedin that we were excited about was an ability to swing the ball. Add to that his middle order batting and it's a bonus and adds balance to the 13."
Elliot's inclusion can only be read as a lack of faith in the batting line-up and the need to get useful contributions down the order. A possible line-up for the test XI would see him come in at No 8, Daniel Vettori at No 9, Kyle Mills at 10, leaving only one rabbit, Chris Martin, in the line up.
"You could put it that way I guess," Nash said, "but we just look at it as a guy who with his swing bowling and ability with the bat will be of use to us. But the circumstances and the conditions will determine our XI on the day."
Jeetan Patel has been named as the second spinner though he may not feature depending on the pitch conditions at Seddon Park.
Fulton's demise means retirement-bound former captain Stephen Fleming will bat at three while Taylor has a chance to re-establish himself after a poor debut series in South Africa in November. Taylor made just 44 in four innings in the Republic as New Zealand slumped to two heavy test defeats.
How, who averages 14.55 in 10 test innings, replaces Cumming, who failed to make a mark against Bangladesh before his domestic form dipped. In contrast How has been something of a revelation with a fine ODI series highlighted by a career-best 139 in the fourth match in Napier.
Nash said the batting had been particularly hard to select given the diet of one-day cricket and conceded Taylor's inclusion was based purely on his one-day form against the English.
* New Zealand (from): Daniel Vettori (captain), Matthew Bell, Jamie How, Stephen Fleming, Mathew Sinclair, Ross Taylor, Jacob Oram, Brendon McCullum, Grant Elliot, Kyle Mills, Iain O'Brien, Jeetan Patel, Chris Martin.
- ADDITIONAL REPORTING: NZPA
