Where is the bench strength?

In the wake of another series defeat and the continuing bad form of several of his players, John Bracewell fell back on that coaching cliche: blame the ill-informed media and public. The comments, made in a radio interview, were no doubt intended as an impassioned defence of struggling batsman Craig McMillan, but it came across as the fallback position of so many coaches - the "you have no right to comment because you don't know anything" argument. It was just a shame about the timing.

New Zealand's successful chase of 331 with an over to spare against Australia at Jade Stadium could have been a springboard, but it's more likely that its effect will be more placebo than panacea. New Zealand, and Bracewell, momentarily regained the trust of the cricketing public with their heroics.

Cricket followers might not have the access to Bracewell's vast library of video analysis, of biomechanic reports based on high-speed cameras. They're not privy to the closed-door selection meetings. But he should never make the mistake of assuming that they're dumb. They know that unless a few fundamentals are addressed, the victory at Christchurch was merely a finger in the dyke.

Those fundamentals include the apparent lack of anybody equipped to bowl between overs 45 and 50; a glaring lack of productivity from at least three of the top order; and a refusal to even countenance a game plan that requires New Zealand to set, rather than chase, totals. Stand-in captain Daniel Vettori went some way to addressing the death-bowling problem. "All you ask of your bowlers in the last couple of overs is finding the blockhole and restricting them to twos."

Easy in theory. Instead, New Zealand's bowlers have dished up half-trackers and half-volleys to the point where the only other option has been the slower ball, a 'surprise' tactic that has these days lost all its surprise and is instead feasted upon. The top-order woes have been highlighted by McMillan's continuing lack of form, but stalwart Nathan Astle and last season's revelation Hamish Marshall should not be spared scrutiny either.

Astle looks completely out of nick and Marshall, if possible, even worse. The stage was set for him to bounce back at Christchurch after he got a fortuitous start and then had the fortune to face a spell from Australian leg-spinner Cameron White that must rank among the worst seen at this level. How Marshall conspired to get himself out bowled for 27 trying to late cut a ball that was heading down the leg side remains a mystery.

McMillan's problem, Bracewell claimed, was that the public and media don't understand his role as a floating hitter whose dismissal doesn't necessarily adversely affect the "team unit". Mark Richardson, a former opener, offered the perfect riposte saying there was only one currency for batsmen whether it was a floating role or not: runs.

Of course, it is one thing to drop out-of-form players, it is entirely another thing in a country with as few playing resources as New Zealand, to replace them with suitable candidates. New Zealand has a six-team domestic first-class competition that, we are told, does not provide adequate grounding for international cricket. There is some merit in that, when considering bowlers, too many of whom collect cheap wickets on helpful domestic surfaces. The selectors tried Iain O'Brien last season after a couple of seasons of domestic success, only to find him ineffective against Australia on good surfaces.

In batting, they seem to have a similar, though less understandable, reluctance to pick on domestic form. That's why they have tended to go for 'hunch' selections, based on something spotted in a batsman's technique that they believe will transfer well into the Test arena. In some cases like Hamish Marshall, who has an anemic first-class record, the hunches worked spectacularly well. Others like James Marshall, have failed equally as spectacularly.

It is New Zealand Cricket's belief that players need to go through the 'A' programme at the very least be fore they are ready for a step up. Given that the 'A' programme is still in its formative stages and matches are few and far between, it becomes a convenient excuse not to pick players. For all we know, players who have been successful at first-class level recently such as Jesse Ryder and Peter Fulton, might not be better than the likes of McMillan and the Marshalls.

But as Heath Mills, the Players' Association chief, said recently: "Domestic cricket is never going to be a breeding ground for international cricket until they [the selectors] show some faith in it." Faith is exactly what Bracewell has asked for as he prepares a squad for 2007. It's a two-way street though. Like anything. He also might find that the more you assess people as fools, the more those people will feel the same way back.