The Black Caps were greeted by the sun as they arrived in Manchester ahead of their match against the West Indies on Saturday
By Niall Anderson in Manchester
For someone that has rolled out an unchanged XI for four consecutive Cricket World Cup clashes, Black Caps coach Gary Stead has had to make a lot of tough selections – and that's just the way he likes it.
Pesky problems they may be, but they're still handy headaches to have for the Black Caps, with the likes of Henry Nicholls, Tim Southee and Ish Sodhi all having come close to selection at various stages of the tournament.
Sodhi's big chance for inclusion in the starting XI may have been against South Africa, where the slower wicket could have accommodated two spinners. However, he narrowly missed out, and to incorporate the legspinner, Stead would likely now have to drop one of Jimmy Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme or Mitch Santner, all of whom have produced match-winning performances during the tournament.
"Ish was considered strongly out there, what went against him for this game was we still felt it was just a touch soft on top, and we felt that maybe the seam movement was going to be as effective as the spin out there as well," Stead explained after the thrilling victory at Edgbaston.
The nature of the wicket is always a decisive factor in selection, and Stead revealed it also complicated their decision on their preference when winning the toss.
"We take in intel that we find out from the groundsman, Jeetan Patel [who plays regularly at Edgbaston], and guys like that who you talk to and give you advice. The hard thing about this game is we had a bit of conflicting advice about what was best to do, and that always makes it difficult.
"When we were unsure, we fell back and thought bowling was the right thing to do – although if we did have to bat first I have faith that we've done that enough times that I feel good about doing that as well."
Whether batting first would involve sending Henry Nicholls out alongside Martin Guptill could be Stead's next dilemma.
Colin Munro was caught and bowled by Kagiso Rabada off an inside edge for nine off five balls, and has now not passed 24 in his last three innings – leaving Nicholls with a reasonable case to be installed back as opener for the West Indies showdown on Sunday.
Less likely to be making his return is Southee. Jousting with Matt Henry for a starting spot, he watched on as Henry was superbly restrictive in returning figures of 10-2-34-0 against South Africa, and the Canterbury seamer now likely to be handed the new ball for the foreseeable future.
Black Caps coach Gary Stead with fast bowlers Trent Boult and Tim Southee. Photo / Photosport
They're difficult discussions to have with a player with 139 ODI caps, but Stead says Southee understands the reasoning behind his omission.
"Tim's back to full fitness and bowling really well in the nets, but it's hard because the guys have stood up so far.
"Tim's been around a long time and even though he's not playing, he's got a really important value to us. He's a senior player, he's got a lot of experience, he's got a lot of knowledge around scouting. Him and I, we have adult conversations about it, he understands it, and it's not easy either."
None of the calls are, and Stead will begin the process all over again at training tomorrow as the Black Caps prepare to play the West Indies in Manchester.
"We'll just work out for each game where each player is at, if there's little niggles around, whether we need to change things, but we still select which team is the right one to play on each pitch, and so far we haven't changed it.
"You could argue that's right or wrong. But I guess if we keep getting the win next to our name at the end, it doesn't really matter too much."
The Alternative Commentary Collective are podcasting their way through the World Cup. Known for their unconventional sports analysis and off-kilter banter, the ACC have come to ask the tough questions. Here's the latest episode of 'The Agenda':
