Tom Latham in action for the Black Caps. Photo / Getty
With New Zealand Cricket submitting their 30-man squad for the Cricket World Cup today, the countdown has begun for those on the fringe to push further for a spot in the tournament.
The squad will be cut in half in a month with only three ODIs being played before then.
Those not in the current 15-man squad in the UAE will have a few rounds of Plunket Shield and Ford Trophy to impress before the official World Cup squad is named after the first test against Sri Lanka on January 7.
The 15-men in the squad for the three-match series against Pakistan beginning tonight obviously have the upper-hand along with captain Brendon McCullum and Tim Southee who left after the test series. Trent Boult also arrived home early and hasn't been a regular fixture in the ODI squad but could be hard to ignore come World Cup.
The likes of Anton Devcich, Matt Henry, Dean Brownlie, James Neesham, Adam Milne and Tom Latham could either play themselves in or out of the squad in the series against Pakistan.
Former internationals James Franklin, Hamish Bennett, Neil Broom, Colin de Grandhomme, Andrew Ellis, Grant Elliot, Colin Munro, Rob Nicol and Hamish Rutherford will need to keep relying on domestic form to book a spot but it would take some very strong performances to do so.
The main concern for the Black Caps heading into the tournament is the top of the order. In the recent 2-0 defeat to South Africa, James Neesham was tested alongside Martin Guptill with neither batsmen firing in the two New Zealand innings.
As expected, the squad doesn't include Otago opener Jesse Ryder who missed the New Zealand A tour of the UAE due to personal reasons.
The basis of the squad offers plenty promise for New Zealand fans. Daniel Vettori (277 ODIs), Brendon McCullum (232), Mills (166) and Ross Taylor (137) all have stacks of experience while the likes of Corey Anderson and Mitchell McClenaghan have the game-changing potential to star in the tournament.
The likes of Kane Williamson, Southee, Nathan McCullum and BJ Watling have all been around international cricket long enough to know what is needed to win a one-off tournament, while younger squad members Milne, Henry and Latham might be in a better position in four years' time to make an impact at a World Cup but wouldn't surprise if they were included in the 15-man squad.
All eyes will be on these 30 players over the next 30 days.
New Zealand Cricket World Cup squad of 30
Corey Anderson (Northern Knights
Hamish Bennett (Canterbury)
Trent Boult (Northern Knights)
Doug Bracewell (Central Stags)
Neil Broom (Canterbury)
Dean Brownlie (Northern Knights)
Colin de Grandhomme (Auckland Aces)
Anton Devcich (Northern Knights)
Grant Elliot (Wellington Firebirds)
Andrew Ellis (Canterbury)
James Franklin (Wellington Firebirds)
Martin Guptill (Auckland Aces)
Matt Henry (Canterbury)
Roneel Hira (Canterbury)
Tom Latham (Canterbury)
Mitchell McClenaghan (Auckland Aces)
Brendon McCullum (Otago Volts)
Nathan McCullum (Otago Volts)
Kyle Mills (Auckland Aces)
Adam Milne (Central Stags)
Colin Munro (Auckland Aces)
James Neesham (Otago Volts)
Rob Nicol (Auckland Aces)
Luke Ronchi (Wellington Firebirds)
Hamish Rutherford (Otago Volts)
Tim Southee (Northern Knights)
Ross Taylor (Central Stags)
Daniel Vettori (Northern Knights)
BJ Watling (Northern Knights)
Kane Williamson (Northern Knights)