How many Black Caps would make an Anzac XI

Brendon McCullum leads the Black Caps off the field after the opening day of the first test at the 'Gabba. Photo / Getty

The first sparring in the test series went Australia's way at the Gabba yesterday. But how would New Zealand fare in that pastime of picking a composite XI from the two teams?

David Warner and Joe Burns cashed in yesterday - would they both be in that line-up?

And how about the seam bowling mix? There is nothing especially scientific about this, more a personal feeling, allied to numbers.

This team will obviously never play a test, but you work on the assumption the players are all in top form, and the pitch provides what is generally accepted to be an ideal surface - that is, it offers early help to the new ball, bats well through the middle and has something for the spinners late in the piece.

On certain selections no argument would be brooked, so those who walk into this line-up would include the pugnacious Warner, New Zealand's classy Kane Williamson, Australia's new captain Steven Smith, Williamson's Northern Districts' wicketkeeping chum BJ Watling and Australian offspinner Nathan Lyon.

Warner averages 46, knocked up his 13th century at the Gabba yesterday and has an ebullient/irritating presence depending on your perspective.

His partner? Tom Latham, by a squeak from Martin Guptill or Joe Burns. He gives this team a left-left opening combination, maybe not ideal, but Latham has a fractionally better average (39.52) than Burns, who has similarly made a fine start to his test career.

Williamson, world No 7 batsman, averaging 45.7, is a monty at No 3, ditto Smith, who is going at 56.27, and averaging a century every third test, and ranked second.

Let's use a bit of licence here and shift Ross Taylor down a spot to No 5. He's better than Adam Voges and edges out Brendon McCullum.

Jimmy Neesham gets the allrounder job from the unproven Mitchell Marsh, and Lyon has a fine record - 16 wickets in 46 matches at 34.09.

Watling, averaging 40.71, might put up a case to play purely as a batsman, if Australian Peter Nevill was rated a truly outstanding gloveman. He's not, so Watling's in anyway.

Which leaves the trickiest part - how to choose three from the Mitchells Johnson and Starc, and New Zealand's top 10 rated Tim Southee and Trent Boult.

There may be no right or wrong in this specific area. Test records and rankings prove useful.

Tall leftarmer Starc sits at No 20 and he's no slug by any stretch. But his real strength has been with the white ball, at least to this point.

But Nos 5 (Boult), 6 (Johnson) and 10 (Southee) are hard to argue against.

A possible XI
1 David Warner
2 Tom Latham
3 Kane Williamson
4 Steven Smith
5 Ross Taylor
6 Jimmy Neesham
7 BJ Watling
8 Mitchell Johnson
9 Tim Southee
10 Trent Boult
11 Nathan Lyon