Mark Richardson: Year started with a bang, now keep it up team

Jesse Ryder on his way to making 47 at Nelson yesterday. Photo / Getty Images

The new year began with a bang in Queenstown ... bang, crash, wallop to be exact ... Corey Anderson and Jesse Ryder were superb.

It was an exhibition of just what our cricket team is capable of - so here is what would I'd like to see from New Zealand cricket for the rest of 2014.

First, I want to see Ryder all season. Sure, Anderson was amazing and you could say he played the innings of his life - but Ryder was not far from being just as sensational.

Ryder's 46-ball century felt like a bit of normality, far from an innings of a lifetime. It felt like the sort of innings you can expect from him time and time again.

He is the most naturally gifted batsman I've ever seen and I just hope that gift is realised to the level it should be. If it is, our team are in the hunt in any form of the game.

Next, I want to see Adam Milne become a valuable member of the test team. Right now, he's far from the spearhead you base your attack around but his sort of pace cannot be allowed to slip from New Zealand cricket's grasp. Bowlers who can hit 150km/h are rare and should be celebrated.

At the very least, they are really exciting to watch and, after all, that's the goal isn't it - to provide a product people want to watch? Mitchell Johnson charging in against the Poms has been great viewing this summer.

Sadly, the lure of four overs a game in Twenty20 has robbed fans of the drama of the real fast bowler in test cricket. Johnson has brought 'sexy' back to test cricket. I suggest Milne grow himself a mean-looking handlebar moustache and get nasty.

My third wish is that BJ Watling becomes our annoying little Brad Haddin. A wicketkeeper-batsman batting at seven is worth his weight in gold - and a good one has a telling effect on a game.

Haddin has had a huge impact in the Ashes series, as did Adam Gilchrist before him and Matt Prior in better times. Sure, Watling could bat higher as he realises his batting potential but runs at seven can be demoralising for the opposition.

I am also very keen on seeing the world front up to Indian cricket.

The Indian Cricket Board are not just the bully boys of world cricket, they are now the overlords of the game. If allowed, they will manipulate the game to suit themselves.

At times, financially speaking, doing what the Indians want is unavoidable but we could draw the line at creating pitches to suit them.

It appears, for small fry like us, playing India is like playing your boss at golf - do and say the right things but don't beat them. It's okay for their perceived peers in Australia and England to beat them but to put them on seaming wickets here in New Zealand and stuffing them would be cricket's equivalent of a kamikaze mission - successful, yes, but ultimately fatal.

I say water up, green up, stand up and stuff them up this summer.

Finally, and most importantly, I want to see our team win a major trophy this year.

The big one is next year in the World Cup but a win later this year in the T20 world championships would be just the tonic.

Once again we have a team with promise and potential and it's about time we did something significant with it.