Cricket: Limited-over whitewashes little help for test selectors

Middle-order batsman Neil Broom is in line for a test call-up. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand's domestic schedule hasn't done the national selectors any favours when they name their team for the one-off test against Bangladesh today.

While it's tempting to suggest, given the opposition and what they have shown so far in New Zealand, that it shouldn't matter as much as it might against higher-quality opponents, that's not really the point.

So the selectors, Mark Greatbatch, Glenn Turner and captain Dan Vettori, are expected to stick with the vast bulk of the third test team which played Pakistan in Napier before Christmas, with a spot of fine-tuning.

Gone from that squad are fast-medium bowlers Shane Bond (retired from tests), Iain O'Brien (retired from all international cricket) and Grant Elliott (injured). Gone also, but for reasons of form, is likely to be middle-order batsman Daniel Flynn.

That opens doors, or as Greatbatch put it yesterday, "there may be a couple of surprises".

Start with the bowling. One player missing from the limited-overs matches against Bangladesh, and therefore out of recent international sight, is Chris Martin.

In three tests against Pakistan, the experienced seamer took 11 wickets at 31 apiece. The other seamer in that category was O'Brien, therefore the 35-year-old Martin is likely to stay.

There is room for another, and it could be Northern Districts' Brent Arnel, who has been on the cusp of a test XI in recent times, or Andy McKay, who can't be faulted for having made the most of his surprise opportunity in the ODI series against Bangladesh.

"Andy's come into international cricket and been impressive, he's bowling at a good clip and been very accurate," Greatbatch said.

Elliott's absence, and Flynn having run out of chances, leaves empty batting seats to fill.

If Peter Ingram was to play for New Zealand this season it was assumed it would be in the test side, not for limited-overs matches.

But the 31-year-old has put up strong first-class numbers consistently in the past four seasons and has made a decent fist of things against Bangladesh in the shorter games.

The other one could be middle-order batsman Neil Broom, who has not been far off the test lineup, has runs in the bank and, perhaps importantly, is in the current setup.

So too are McKay and Ingram. If all three are named today, it will demonstrate the value of already being in and playing, rather than trying to force their way in from outside.


Possible NZ 13 for Bangladesh test:

Dan Vettori (c), Tim McIntosh, BJ Watling, Peter Ingram, Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Neil Broom, Brendon McCullum, Daryl Tuffey, Tim Southee, Chris Martin, Andy McKay, Nathan McCullum.