New Zealand Cricket might be in a power squabble at an operational and governance level but there is welcome stability in the playing XI, judging by the selection of the national cricket teams to tour England next month.
The recent test series against England was the first time in a three-test series that an unchanged New Zealand XI had been used. The world's eighth-ranked team reaped the benefits. An argument can be made that drawing a series over a much-vaunted world No2 was a moral victory.
Perseverance was shown with fringe players such as Peter Fulton, Bruce Martin and Neil Wagner. They repaid the selection faith with solid and, in Fulton's case, exceptional performances. They have been rewarded with places on the England tour where there is no reason why the policy of a steady hand in selection should cease.
The ideal of a settled and secure team is often sought but, just as often, selectors and captains fiddle with their team complement if, for example, they make changes forced by an unexpected loss, public or administrative pressure and other factors. Injuries sometimes compound matters - Martin Guptill and Doug Bracewell were cases in point against England - but their absence from the New Zealand team has only served to enhance the competition for places.
History points to some key examples where a stable team directly links with test success. During the last 30 years, four campaigns or eras leap to mind where often only injury prevented teams sticking with the same players throughout.
