David Leggat: Take minute to savour squad's success in ultimate format

Tim Southee helped lead the Black Caps' bowling attack with skill and persistence. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand are dipping their toes into uncharted test territory.

Win or lose against Sri Lanka in Wellington next week, it won't alter the fact New Zealand have been unbeaten in their last six series, going back to the middle of last year.

Nobody would have picked that back in the dark days of January 2013 as New Zealand picked through the wreckage of 45 all out at Cape Town.

For the record, New Zealand have drawn in Bangladesh, beaten the West Indies home and away, beaten India at home, drawn with Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates - and now this.

These are rousing times for New Zealand, the test team. The World Cup is around the corner, but that's for later. For now, relish what New Zealand are achieving in the game's ultimate format. And wonder, is there a spinoff for the ODI side?

There can be some correlation. The personnel will change, although six of the winning XI at Hagley Oval yesterday seem sure to be in the final 15 for the cup, to be named at the end of the second test.

The most visible change is the confidence that this group exudes.

Captain Brendon McCullum was at pains last night to stress there are certain standards ingrained, including respect for the game and the opposition and - having won back the public after a dreadful period of ructions in late 2012 and early 2013 - a determination to keep them.

Add in a resolve not to get too big for their boots and you have an ideal scenario for fine deeds.

New Zealand have top-class batsmen working well in unison. Kane Williamson, 931 test runs this year, Ross Taylor and McCullum, who ends the year on 1165 runs, are the middle-order planks.

Tim Southee and Trent Boult lead a bowling attack with skill and persistence. Is there a better new ball double act on the test circuit? James Anderson and Stuart Broad of England are contenders; so too South Africans Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander. But Southee and Boult, both ranked inside the world top 10 bowlers, sit easily in that company.

Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews is confident his team will benefit from the Hagley Oval beating. They look forward to the return of spinner Rangana Herath, the world's most successful test bowler this year.

Still, he won't find a Colombo bunsen burner of a pitch in the capital to work with.

What New Zealand are achieving right now should be savoured.

Happy New Year indeed.