Chris Cairns: Priority is open and shut case

If there is one thing the selection for the first test against Zimbabwe shows, it is that New Zealand Cricket must look to develop opening batsmen through all levels of our game.

I feel for Lou Vincent. It wasn't long ago he was telling the world he was not an opener, he was a middle-order batsman.

Now we're putting him back in a position we've already dropped him from once. I find that hard to understand.

Lou was not picked for this tour because of his ability to open; he was picked because he scored an excellent double century against Sri Lanka batting in the middle order.

Stephen Fleming has rightly said no to opening and Craig Cumming's injury makes it difficult but I would have thought it would have perhaps made more sense to open Hamish Marshall with his brother James.

Hamish has got the best technique against the new ball and you could have then brought Fleming in at No 3 and so on.

Although it is not ideal, Lou might just about get away with it in Zimbabwe. The tracks will be flat and he's never had too many problems on flat decks. If he's successful it creates as big a headache as it does if he fails.

No matter how successful he is though, to me it is putting a Band-Aid over a gaping wound.

It cannot hide how desperately we need a quality opening partnership.

In all levels of our cricket it is the area where we have struggled for years.

We've always had a bit of a glut of middle order strokemakers but every great side in the world has a solid foundation at the top and a strong opening bowling attack.

With Shane Bond back and the continuing development of Chris Martin, we have the latter.

I was hugely impressed with Central Districts opener Jamie How when he was at the Academy and am a bit surprised by the selectors' reluctance to fast-track him.

He has a good technique, plays well off the back foot square of the wicket and would be able to score off international lengths. Like Hamish, he appeals to me as a guy who will be more successful at test level than he would be on our first-class pitches.

To me, our long-term opening partnership has to be J. How and A. Nother, whether that's James Marshall, Michael Papps or whoever.

The other guy I feel for tonight is quickie Shane Bond.

He will be feeling as nervous as humanly possible when he gets the nut in his hand.

He might have performed well in warm-ups and for Canterbury at the end of last season but that will count for nothing tonight.

The key to judging a person is how they handle setbacks. Dealing with success is the easiest job in the world.

It's the way Shane has handled his setbacks that tells me most about him.

He knows this is his last chance. Another back injury and we won't see him again for New Zealand.

After the past couple of years, if anybody deserves some pain-free success it is him.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY