Posted by   on (February 22, 2013, 1:20 GMT) - Featured comment

I'd use this home series as a chance to bring in some new blood- Given that Guppy comes back when fit- I'd use Jamie How to open- seldom lets you down, a fighter- Leave Watling with the gloves and bat him at 6. B McCullum is better at 5. So we need a long term prospect for opener and a genuine all-rounder for No7. My team is Jeet Ravell, Jamie How,Williamson, Taylor, B McCullum, Watling, Corey Anderson,N McCullum, Bracewell, Southee & Boult (throw in Scott Kuggeleijn as 12th man as part of his development)

Corey Anderson certainly didn't perform in SA as I hoped he would, but I still think his batting was light years ahead of some of the others like Neesham and Latham a few years ago. Hopefully he can return to that form, he looks like another Jesse Ryder type player when he's really hitting the ball well. People should also recall the start of Martin Crowes career, it took a while to take off.

Posted by   on (February 22, 2013, 15:38 GMT)

People keep mentioning C.Anderson. He showed in South Africa why he isn't close to being ready in internationals. J. Neesham is far ahead of C. Anderson in terms of being comfy at the top level.

A full flight NZ team for me would see...

Guptill, Watling, Williamson, Ryder, Taylor, McCullum, Brownlie, Vettori, Bracewell, Southee, and either Bolt/Wagner.

Redmond is having as good a season as Fulton. Add to that a better test record than Fulton and that he has 100 FC wickets, and he should be back in the test side. Rutherford is having a great breakthrough FC season, not sure why they threw him into the 50 over stuff, he's been pretty crap in that. Redmond, Rutherford, Williamson, Taylor, McCullum, Brownlie, Watling (wkt), Bracewell, Southee, Boult, + a spinner? dunno, Vettori apart no one seems good enough for tests unless a chance is taken with Sodhi. How about Redmond and Williamson used as spinners and they try Milne, or Wagner as seamer 4

I just hope they don't select anyone that has tried and failed. Take for example Aaron Redmond, Jamie How or Peter Fulton. We all know how it will work, play a few games and be dropped because they just couldn't deal with the demand of International cricket. It would be different if they were young, then we could say they have potential. Hamish Rutherford is a shoe-in for me, followed by Carl Cachopa. Luke Ronchi should keep wickets while BJ Watling takes the other openers slot. Should Watling and Rutherford/Cachopa perform well, then Martin Guptill will have to fight for his spot back (because quite frankly, he doesn't deserve to be in the Test team on current form). Todd Astle should be given a crack, probably because his name has a familiar ring to it. The rest of the order sorts itself out..

1. Rutherford/Cachopa 2. Watling 3. Williamson 4. Taylor (c) 5. McCullum 6. Brownlie 7. Ronchi (wk) 8. Astle 9. Bracewell 10. Southee 11. Boult

@ john foster...... um what has brownlie done wrong he dosent seem to be in ur claculations?........ anyway my test team would be Redmond,Rutherford,williamson,taylor,brownlie,mccullum,watling,n.mccullum, bracewell,southee,boult. fulton has been tried and has failed many times. Aaron Redmond got dropped after scoring 80 odd against oz and is the leading run scorer in the plunket shield. want to fit Ronchi in but cant quite work out how just yet....

Brendon McCullum said on the news tonight that he's not going to open and that he doesn't want Watling to open either. With Guptill out NZ needs 2 test openers. Rutherford will be one of them, and Fulton is likely to get the other spot. I'd be tempted to try Franklin at opener - it's a leftfield option for sure, but he's got technique, temperament, and experience, plus he's a handy 4th seamer.

Rutherford, McCullum, Williamson, Taylor, Brownlie, watling, Ronchi, Bracewell, Southee, Boult, Wagner. That's the XI for the first test if you ask me. Why pick a spinner when we don't have one good enough? It's not like we are playing in India. Williamson can bowl some part timers if we need them.

I know not many people will agree with me here but the best option to open the innings in my opinion is dean brownlie, he's a genuine top order bat who the selectors decided to bat in the middle order. Brownlie is the best player in team off the back foot playing short pitched bowling, he is way more comfortable facing quick bowling than spinners which has to be a middle order players bread and butter milking spinners for singles but he really struggles with spin and swan will be all over him so let him face the quicks for as long as possible. Not going to happen but makes sense to me.

Ronchi has to keep, and I think Williamson goes to open. Keep McCullum at 5 or 6. Franklin looks so down on pace, I think he should be kept for short format. What's happened to Wagner these days ?