Victory in Australia is great but unfortunately it probably didn't answer any of the questions we have about our top XI, oddly enough it probably threw up a few more.
We did learn a couple of things though that we can bank for the years ahead.
1) Between Doug Bracewell, Tim Southee and Trent Boult we have quick bowlers that can win us test matches for the next six or seven years. Behind them sit a group including Neil Wagner (come April), Hamish Bennett and Adam Milne. That group can win us test matches.
2) Chris Martin can still lead this attack. Martin was outstanding this whole series, making Phil Hughes his bunny was memorable but I could make Phil Hughes my bunny by bowling underarm if I was taking the ball across him. The way he lead a group of youngsters and kept showing up was testament to what experience and heart can achieve. Sure he may only have a year or two left (terrorising A Strauss and A Cook next summer in NZ might be a nice finish to the careeer) but in that time the group of bowlers I discussed in point 1 will learn a lot from Tommy!
3) Dean Brownlie is a middle order rock that you can build a batting line-up around.
There are also things we already knew
1) Ross Taylor is world class.
But what are the questions?
1) Is Kane Williamson a #3.... yet? Kane Williamson will be a world-class cricketer and will earn that reputation as a #3 but I am not convinced he is there yet. The best #3 of my lifetime is Ponting (well maybe Dravid but it being Ponting suits my argument) spent the early years of his career at 6 where he learned how to be a test batsman. Everyone knew he would always be a 3 but they gave him time to grow into it and look at the results! Should that be what they do with Kane? I guess it depends if you have another batsman to put there which maybe we do in Dean Brownlie.
2) Is Reece Young international quality? People who follow/watch first class cricket closely say that Young is the best keeper batsman in the country by a distance. Unfortunately that hasn't translated into quality on the test stage. Runs in Hobart were hard to come by, absolutely but players that are supposedly not as good managed to graft through it and provide support to the guy at the other end. Young wasn't able to. His contributions in Brisbane with the bat were poor. I am not a wicketkeeping expert so can't comment on that really, obviously he dropped Clarke in Brisbane with a ball that swung back late so was a tough chance but you would still want your keeper to take those in a test match. The difficulty is though, do we have anyone better to take his spot? Kruger Van Wyk isn't available yet, Derek De Boorder is running up some good numbers with the bat but do you pick the guy to debut against the best pace-attack in the world right now in South Africa? Tough call. Very very tough call. My opinion is that I would give Young the Zimbo test, let him find some confidence and hope he takes that into the South African series. My off-season if I was Wright/Buchanan would be spent turning BJ Waitling from a part-time keeper to a test quality one because then the problem is solved.
- Brendon McCullum does not come into this equation because I believe the guy when he says his body will not let him keep in the long form.
3) What role does Daniel Vettori play in this team? Is he a bowler that bats? A batsman that bowls? I think these days he is probably the latter. In my team I would pick him to bat at 6 and expect runs from him while knowing that he is good for 30/40 overs a test match but is unlikely to rip through an international top-order anymore (lower orders are a different matter for the rabbit hunter though!) Having him as this means we can play four quicks or three and another spinner in the right conditions. Don't ask me who the other spinner is though because that is for a completely different conversation. If Vettori bats 6 it probably means no place for Jesse Ryder at the moment (unthinkable 12 months ago) but if Ryder gets back to a place where he can bowl 10-15 overs a day then you can pick him and have Vettori batting at 6/7 with the keeper and 3 quicks behind him.
I do genuinely think the future is bright for the Black Caps, this is a talented generation of cricketers we have coming through and who are maturing into good international cricketers at the moment. Most pleasing though is not that we have a good 11 but that we probably have a group behind these guys who are not far off or who are international standard and can push for a spot over the next five or so years.
So here is my talent pool, I would pick an 11 but I can't honestly make up my own mind on how I would fit everyone into a fully fit lineup.
Top Order group
McCullum, Guptill, Flynn, Waitling, Nicol, Williamson
Middle Order group
Taylor, Ryder, Brownlie, Vettori, Williamson, Flynn, Franklin, Broom
Keepers
Young, Van Wyk, De Boorder
Spinners
Vettori, Astle, Patel (at a push)
Quicks
Bracewell, Southee, Mills, Bennett, Milne, Wagner
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