Contract list could be due for a shake-up

Some interesting calculations await the members of the New Zealand cricket team as next season's contracts are discussed by the national selectors.

With a team also to be selected to tour Sri Lanka next month, there could be some nervous players after the disappointment that was the World Cup campaign.

As they review their thoughts on what went wrong and why, the selectors will know specifically which players did what was asked of them and those who didn't.

But given the way things turned to custard in South Africa it is reasonable to assume that several players were guilty of not fulfilling their roles.

That should impact on the selection for Sri Lanka, both in one-day play and in Test cricket.

It would also be safe to assume that there will be some large swings in placement for those players among the list of preferred 20 players to be given contracts by New Zealand Cricket.

The list of players is not made public by agreement between both parties.

But from a season review standard the Wisden CricInfo New Zealand list might look something like this:

Category A: Nathan Astle, Shane Bond, Stephen Fleming; Category B: Chris Cairns, Jacob Oram, Scott Styris; Category C: Brendon McCullum, Mark Richardson, Daryl Tuffey, Daniel Vettori; Category D: Andre Adams, Chris Harris, Matt Horne, Craig McMillan, Lou Vincent; Category E: Ian Butler, Robbie Hart, Michael Mason, Shayne O'Connor, Mathew Sinclair.

Category A players earn an annual retainer of $120,000, with each subsequent category earning $20,000 less than the one above, with Category E players earning $40,000 per annum.

That leaves as victims from the first contracted list players like: Chris Martin, Chris Nevin, Kyle Mills and Paul Hitchcock.

Given that the positions are decided upon results achieved in Test and One-Day International play and then the points from each section are added to get an overall figure, with some latitude taken for potential and performance, some players may be regarded as lucky to have their spots while others could feel frustrated with their placement.

Shane Bond and Stephen Fleming are entirely deserving of their places in the top bracket given their performances this year. Nathan Astle is probably hanging on by virtue of reputation and improved form overall in his World Cup efforts.

Chris Cairns can hardly expect to gain a top-tier ranking having only played in the World Cup and then as only a batting option. On performance alone, it was hardly his most successful summer.

With his form in the West Indies, and his form in the Test series against India and the performance in finishing the second best batsman at the World Cup, Scott Styris is deserving of second-tier ranking and is not too far from the top.

Jacob Oram, based on his performances against India, his 14 wickets in the World Cup which was second only to Bond, and taken at a reasonable economy rate of 4.21, has to be given a high rating.

It continues to be a concern that the country's best spin bowler has been so inactive in Test cricket for two summers now. Daniel Vettori can expect plenty of bowling in the Sri Lankan and Indian tours but his has been a difficult time and while not incisive at the World Cup, he did have a bowling economy rate of 3.98.

Daryl Tuffey had such an outstanding home season that he too, is entitled to a mid-tier ranking and the hope has to be that the development continues in his game at home and a way.

Wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum should gain a mid-tier place as the result of tidy 'keeping, apart from 'that' catch and it can only be a matter of time before he also adds the Test duties to his resume. But Robbie Hart made the most of his chance last year and his performances in the West Indies, and against India in the Tests were sufficient for him to probably retain the role for the Sri Lankan tour at least.

Mark Richardson must have had a frustrating summer, not only because he has found runs so hard to come by in the State Championship, but because he has had so little international play.

Given his hunger in the past, it can be assumed that he is looking at the calendar with a lot more relish over the next 12 months. Certainly, he is a key part of the side for that period.

His likely opening partner will be Matt Horne. Not required for international duty this year, but a contracted player nonetheless, Horne still has much to offer New Zealand while future opening options are developed.

He probably deserves a slot among the fourth level while Andre Adams, Lou Vincent and Craig McMillan really have it in their own hands to lift their rankings for the future. Each has wonderful assets that have been seen to effect in the past, but regaining those glories is probably going to take some hard work from them.

The contract system is supposed to be a method for allowing this and these players are the first probable test cases for the benefits to be had from the system.

And you have to admire the tenacious Chris Harris. Just when it seemed he might be a passenger at the World Cup, he becomes a key player, albeit on pitches that might have been transported from New Zealand in the mid-1990s. There's life in the old dog yet.

The bottom level is probably where Test specialist Hart comes in while Mathew Sinclair deserves the chance to up his ranking purely by getting some match play. Michael Mason was only a hamstring tweak away from making his Test debut during the Indian series and appears likely to get his chance in Sri Lanka, a tour which should also see the recovery of Ian Butler and Shayne O'Connor to international status.

Butler appeals as the obvious foil to Bond in one-day play, and Test matches for that matter while O'Connor as the country's foremost left-arm fast-medium bowler has pushed hard through the domestic competition for recall.