Cricket: Chance to state test hopes

West Indies' Shivnarine Chanderpaul will have added responsibility with the absence of Chris Gayle. Photo / AP

NZ batsmen on both sides of today's warm-up game hope to impress selectors.

Several New Zealand batsmen could do with plenty of pre-first test runs against the West Indies selection in their tour opener at Lincoln starting today.

But a couple of ring-ins for the tourists might also take the chance to give the national selectors a shoulder tap too.

With the West Indies still playing limited-overs internationals in India, just six of their tour group are in New Zealand, so six New Zealanders will fill out their numbers in the three-day game, which has lost its first-class status.

Among them, openers Jeet Raval and Aaron Redmond should view it as a royal chance to show their capabilities.

The veteran Redmond has been among the most prolific batsmen in domestic cricket for over a year but has been unwanted in his bid for a test recall so far; Raval is in strong form for Auckland and well regarded.

Openers Hamish Rutherford, in particular, and Peter Fulton, Dean Brownlie and captain Brendon McCullum should all relish getting a look at the West Indies attack.

Tom Latham - on the fringe of getting a test chance, remembering regular No 3 Kane Williamson is almost certainly out of the first test - is another with much to play for.

Fast-medium pair Sheldon Cottrell and Shannon Gabriel are vying for first test selection, while offspinner Shane Shillingford - assuming he passes an ICC test on his bowling action - could be the biggest handful for New Zealand.

Otago allrounder Sam Wells, Wellington seamer Illy Tugaga and young Auckland A batsman Robert O'Donnell - son of coach Mark O'Donnell and a centurymaker for Takapuna in club cricket last weekend - round out the ring-ins.

Now a hamstring tear has counted Chris Gayle out of the tests, the West Indies will lean heavily on the rounded 39-year-old shoulders of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, on his fifth tour of New Zealand.

The little Guyanese, the possessor of cricket's ugliest stance, has a test average of 51 from 150 internationals as proof of his qualities. Barbadian Kirk Edwards, with a test average of 39 but having played the last of his nine tests 18 months ago, is the only other specialist batsman at Lincoln. To him comes a chance to put his nose in front of his top order rivals for a test spot in Dunedin next week.

Shakedown line-ups

New Zealand XI v West Indies XI
Lincoln, from today, 10.30am

New Zealand XI: Brendon McCullum (c, Otago), Hamish Rutherford (Otago), Peter Fulton (Canterbury), Dean Brownlie (Canterbury), Tom Latham (Canterbury), Derek de Boorder (Otago), Todd Astle (Canterbury), James Baker (Northern Districts), Mark Craig (Otago), Andrew Mathieson (Central Districts), Anurag Verma (ND), Tim Johnston (Canterbury).

West Indies XI: Shiv Chanderpaul, Aaron Redmond (Otago), Jeet Raval (Auckland), Sam Wells (Otago), Robert O'Donnell (Auckland), Kirk Edwards, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel, Chadwick Walton, Shane Shillingford, Malaesaili Tugaga (Wellington), Tim Johnston (Canterbury.