New Zealand's 'keeper conundrum

With Brendon McCullum playing as a specialist batsman in Tests, New Zealand have been searching for someone to replace him. Reece Young was dropped after five Tests, and the latest candidates are BJ Watling and Kruger van Wyk. Simon Doull weighs in on the debate with a column for Fairfax NZ News.

Watling, despite having only kept intermittently for Northern Districts in recent years, is not a part-timer.

He was, by all accounts, a very good wicketkeeper right up to under-19 level and that should hold him in good stead this summer.

While his test batting average in six matches is a disappointing 24.5, Watling probably offers more with the bat than Young.

He started his test career as a top order batsman and with the keeping duties might feel a degree of pressure off his shoulders to perform with the willow.

The Herald on Sunday thinks the topic is important enough to merit two columns. Mark Richardson looks at the pros and cons of picking Watling for the Zimbabwe Test here, and Paul Lewis says here that playing Watling provides New Zealand the option of going in with five bowlers.

Having Doug Bracewell matching up with Chris Martin, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, soon-to-be-newcomer Neil Wagner, the injured Hamish Bennett, plus Kyle Mills, along with the evergreen Vettori gives the New Zealand attack depth and competition - and, more to the point, gives the Black Caps the potential to bowl sides out, rather than just restrict them.

Having four quicks on hand allows bowlers to come back fresh and keeps the pressure on the opposing batsmen. This is the raison d'etre behind Watling - and Wright is to be congratulated for having the cojones to give it a crack.