KEY POINTS:
It's times like these we need to offer our heartfelt thanks to New Zealand Cricket for employing such a shrewd and Machiavellian mind as that of coach John Bracewell.
Here we are, in the lead-up to the third biggest sporting event in the world and the New Zealand
boss has already claimed a significant advantage over his rivals, employing an elaborate plan to fox them into thinking he's taken leave of his senses.
It is, of course, a masterstroke: the sort of thing that could later pay an enormous dividend against World Cup opponents who - if all goes well - will be duped into underestimating a side that appears to be selected by Gyro Gearloose.
What Bracewell might come up with in tomorrow's third one-day international against Sri Lanka is anyone's guess. But, if the first two outings are anything to go by, you wouldn't rule out a complete reversal of the batting order, or a side containing solely left-handers.
It's about time someone acknowledged his sheer cunning over the past week - playing batsmen as bowlers and bowlers as batsmen, and leaving out the country's highest run-scorer and fastest paceman. It's started us wondering whether he's a five-ball over.
But only good things can come of this.
For starters, no one in their right mind will take seriously a man who employs a rotation policy despite not having 11 full-strength players, and at a time when New Zealand cricket has roughly the same depth as a toddler's swimming pool.
Bracewell, more than anyone, knows that this strategy is likely to end in tears despite yesterday's win and could possibly make his side look a laughing stock in the upcoming tri-series against England and Australia.
And that's presumably when he'll strike, waiting until he has his World Cup rivals bloated with over-confidence before unleashing his genuine playing XI.
Moving Brendon McCullum up the order to create an extra option was one thing, but only Bracewell was sharp enough too see the shock value of promoting Daniel Vettori to No 5, and then playing one of the Marshall twins at No 7.
Only, he realised that leaving Vettori to bat with the tail, as he's done so successfully over the past year, and allowing the Marshalls to play in conventional middle-order positions, was not quite potty enough to carry the day.
And the most impressive part of this strategy is that he's been working on it for at least the past year, most noticeably during the first test against South Africa in April, when he stunned onlookers by batting his usual No 10 - Kyle Mills - at first-drop.
No one could accuse him of lacking forward planning.
He might have even started on the scheme as far back as two summers ago, when he made a series of comments about Australian groundsmen and television tactics that were clearly designed to fool people into thinking he was crackers.
It worked, too, Shane Warne being the first to fall for the ruse when he arrived in Christchurch for the reciprocal test series and immediately taking a swipe at the New Zealand coach, branding his antics in Australia as "ridiculous".
Bracewell knows, however, that sucking in Warne is one thing; that the far bigger challenge will be trying to deceive folk with fully-developed minds.
Which brings us the full circle to the past week's selections and the need for Bracewell to ensure that Operation Screwloose continues to gain worldwide traction.
Thank goodness he's on our side.
