Cricket: New Zealanders with points to prove

The visit by Australia looms, so too the world Twenty20 championship in the Caribbean.

First it's Bangladesh and that presents challenges of its own.

For several New Zealand players it is a chance to make a statement in terms of those later, higher-profile assignments.

Take Tim Southee.

The 21-year-old Northern Districts swing bowler made a spectacular test debut against England in 2008, taking five wickets in his first innings and thumping a remarkable unbeaten 77 in just 40 balls in a vain attempt to pull off what would have been an incredible series-winning victory in Napier.

Since then, his form has been up and down. He took a pasting from India's willow-wielders last summer, but regained ground on New Zealand A and Emerging Players' tours in mid-year.

With Iain O'Brien retired and Shane Bond having stepped down from test cricket, a spot has opened up for a new ball bowler.

Southee, who has 15 wickets from six tests at an unflattering 46.73 each, and 30 from 24 ODIs at 35.03, has the chance to press for a longterm place. Starting next week.

New opener Peter Ingram has been waiting a long time for his opportunity. Despite piling on the runs in domestic first-class cricket, he has been overlooked in favour of others, until now.

The surprise is that Ingram's chance has come first in the shorter forms of the game. Not that he's a pickle in those versions, either.

He might yet give the test team a tickle-up, too, but first up he needs runs in these first four limited-over games. On the basis that it's one step at a time, if the 31-year-old Taranaki batsman makes a clear statement in those games, good things - think Australia and the Caribbean - could follow.

While eyebrows were raised in some quarters at in-form Scott Styris' omission from both the Twenty20 and ODI squads to play Bangladesh, there were others lifted too by the inclusion in both groups of James Franklin.

There's no doubting his ability, but his results have been hot and cold in recent times, and he's appearing more and more a batsman who can bowl to help out, rather than an out-and-out allrounder.

In time, Jacob Oram won't be there as the allrounder around whom the short form New Zealand teams are built.

A space could open up. Franklin hasn't been helped by knee injuries but the 29-year-old has been around a long time. He's had 26 tests, 69 ODIs and 10 Twenty20s.

His left arm-ness can add a fresh dimension, but he needs to show he's up to the job in the next few days.