Cricket: Steady hand at the top

By RICHARD BOOCK

Strange though it may seem, the man charged with facing the West Indian new ball next week doesn't regard himself as an opening batsman - and neither do the national selectors.

The one question hovering over the composition of the New Zealand squad for the first test at Hamilton was answered yesterday when Canterbury batsman Gary Stead was retained as Matt Horne's opening partner.

Stead was rewarded for his sterling efforts against South Africa and India this year, although both he and the selectors have played down his role as a short-term solution to a long-time problem.

The panel of Ross Dykes (convener), Rick Pickard and David Trist have made it clear they don't regard Stead as the answer to their top-order woes, and for his part, the Canterbury captain effectively agreed yesterday, telling reporters yesterday he preferred to bat down the order.

For all that, however, the Mr Fixit of New Zealand cricket coped remarkably well while scoring 78 against India at Ahmedabad and deserved to be given another chance at the highest level, particularly with a batting average in the mid-40s.

He headed off the challenge of Mathew Sinclair - who was the only other batsman in the hunt - and is now preparing for the Hamilton challenge by elevating the bowling machine about a foot, and practising his technique against short-pitched bowling.

"Every opportunity at that level is great," Stead said yesterday. "So I'll be looking at it as another chance to push my case for a future in the New Zealand side. I still consider the 78 as a one-off innings. But now it's a new attack and I have to show I can adapt."

Opting for Stead ahead of Sinclair also meant the batting line-up remains fairly stable, with Craig Spearman remaining at No3, followed by Stephen Fleming, Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan.

Dykes said the panel attempted to show consistency in their selections.

"Gary's made an excellent contribution in his most recent test and I think he deserves an opportunity to kick on," he said. "Mathew Sinclair will ultimately force his way in, but the position we were really looking to fill was the opening batting spot."

New Zealand will field a similar batting line-up to the one used at Ahmedabad, the only difference being McMillan's return from injury at the expense of Chris Harris.

The bowling attack appeared to be a straightforward selection, with Andrew Penn, Shayne O'Connor, Chris Cairns and the recovering Dion Nash providing the pace options, and Paul Wiseman and Daniel Vettori carrying the spin responsibilities.

Nash has been named subject to a fitness test, while McMillan will have a chance to demonstrate his fitness during New Zealand's two-day practice match against Canterbury starting on Sunday.

Stead and Wiseman will play for New Zealand A against England A in a five-day match starting tomorrow, with the selectors opting to rest Penn and draft Central Districts seamer Michael Mason into the A side instead.

New Zealand: Matt Horne, Gary Stead, Craig Spearman, Stephen Fleming (capt), Nathan Astle, Craig McMillan, Adam Parore, Chris Cairns, Dion Nash, Daniel Vettori, Andrew Penn, Paul Wiseman, Shayne O'Connor.