KEY POINTS:
Few events are so intensely involving to New Zealand cricket followers as participation in the annual one-day tri-series across the Tasman. The reasons are obvious enough: viewer-friendly television scheduling, the well-practised hyperbole that is part and parcel of the presentation, the presence of not only Australia but another, usually highly competitive, team, and a history of controversial incidents. Tomorrow, it starts all over again when the Black Caps face Australia at Bellerive Oval. On this occasion, however, the excitement is tempered by trepidation.
That sentiment springs, of course, from New Zealand's indifferent, and sometimes embarrassing, displays in the truncated series against Sri Lanka. If the Black Caps struggled in that contest, there is cause for more than just a little anxiety about their prospects against Australia, and, possibly, even England. More than anything, that apprehension has increased the pressure on coach John Bracewell, who, during the Sri Lankan tour, adopted a rotation system similar to that used by the All Blacks.
In contrast to rugby's experience, this did not deliver seemingly seamless success. But nor should it have been expected to; this country's cricket resources are far slimmer. Nonetheless, the rotating of players was essential if New Zealand is to have any chance of success at March's World Cup. An attempt had to be made to establish player depth, and the series against a capable Sri Lankan side, the result of which will be forgotten in a very short time, was the ideal opportunity.
In a perfect world, New Zealand would be able to rely on a settled, experienced side in the World Cup. But too many of its best players are prone to injury or lengthy form lapses. Few would gamble on Jacob Oram, Scott Styris, Kyle Mills and Shane Bond all making it to the Caribbean, let alone being available for every match. And they are only the obvious injury concerns. Even if Oram, Styris and Mills had not been injured over the past few weeks, bowling options had to be assessed. Likewise, there was a need to assess the batting credentials of a number of players, given the Black Caps' ongoing fallibility in that area of the game. It makes no sense to persevere with batsmen who have failed more often than not without assessing other candidates.
As a result, we have discovered that Michael Mason and Mark Gillespie will, depending on pitch conditions, trouble good batsmen. That would not have happened had the selectors gone for, say, Chris Martin as a short-term substitute. We have also found that this country's batting resources are every bit as light as feared. Given the failure of several candidates and the eventual recall of the erratic Craig McMillan, perhaps more, rather than fewer, batsmen should have been tried. Only Ross Taylor has emerged, and he has technical deficiencies ripe for exploitation.
The quest for greater depth, durability and experience always engenders a sense of turmoil and no little controversy. For that reason, rotation policies should have a limited lifespan. Now, also, the prestige associated with the Australian tri-series demands the strongest possible Black Caps side, not the introduction of the likes of the already match-fit Oram and Mills several games into the event.
Yet Bracewell seems overly wedded to rotation. The lustre of his limited-overs success with Gloucestershire and in his early days with the Black Caps is rapidly fading. By the time rotation is abandoned, New Zealand's chances in the tri-series could be gone.
Absent, also, will be the confidence and stability that is an essential part of the make-up of any serious World Cup contender.
