KEY POINTS:
Stephen Fleming was disappointed to lose the test captaincy but, come Christmas, he might regard it as a welcome gift.
The two-test series against South Africa is all about how many runs the Black Caps' middle order can supply, and it is shaping as a tough introduction for
new skipper Daniel Vettori.
After the first day at the Wanderers ground, I could only reflect on what a terrific player Mark Richardson was for New Zealand, and what he brought to the top order and the team in general.
He is the only opener we've had for some time who has inspired me with any confidence. At least it shows we can produce quality opening batsmen - even if we have so much trouble actually doing it.
Craig Cumming and Michael Papps - no disrespect, but they don't do it for me. They just haven't got the runs on the board.
I'm hoping Lou Vincent gets a chance from here on. I like the positive way he plays and while Vincent is out there, runs are likely to flow.
He has one key advantage - he has made hundreds at this level and as we have seen recently at the Rugby World Cup - experience is everything.
With the current state of play, it looks as though the Black Caps are always going to be 30 for two - and that is a hard position from which to win a test series, although it can still be done. In most cases, it would be game over if a side electing to bat could score only 226.
It certainly would be if we were talking about Australia. But, with the condition of our batting, nothing is so assured. The good news is that there are no real issues with the bowling.
We've got two world-class bowlers in Shane Bond and Vettori, which is more than enough to build an attack around.
With the bulk of the wicket-taking taken care of, you just need a couple of guys to keep the pressure on at the other end. But the problem remains at the top, leaving the middle-order batters - who have long been the strength of the New Zealand side - under a lot of pressure.
The loss of Chris Cairns, Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan has taken about 25 test centuries out of the middle order.
When you are relying on the middle order for most of your runs, and you've lost players like that, it is a major problem. The heat is now on Fleming and Scott Styris.
I'm picking that this could be Fleming's series. The pressure is off him captaincy-wise, and he is also the the most capable of our batters against Makhaya Ntini.
