NZ: After a Long Break, Zimbabwe Calling

It's an important weekend for NZ sport, but most of the cricket-loving public back home will probably be focusing on the rugby WC semifinal instead. While Richie McCaw bids for greatness, Ross Taylor's first stab at the captaincy begins now. What effect the captaincy has on LRPL (as nobody calls him) will be interesting to see, particularly if it brings some circumspection to his batting. Unlike Vettori, whose reign as captain began with an unforgiving series in South Africa, Taylor has a relatively easy first assignment - with the added pressure to not screw it up. Some thoughts on the upcoming series:

Life After Dan: With Vettori taking a break from the shorter versions of the game, the T20s and ODIs will serve as a preview of what happens when he decides to hang up his boots. And filling those boots will be a tough ask, as neither Nathan McCullum nor Luke Woodcock are in the same class, in a world that isn't kind to finger spinners anyway. McCullum's improved contributions with the bat however should ensure Dan isn't missed too much in that department.

What the Series Means for Each Team: This is one of those tours which the home side stands to gain far more; if NZ win, they won't get much credit for bullying the smaller kid, and if they lose, it will further cement their reputation as, well, losers. For Zimbabwe, however, NZ provide the perfect opportunity to assess how far they've really come. Bangladesh were overcome fairly easily, but Pakistan were a bit too strong though the Zimbos didn't disgrace themselves. NZ are somewhere in between.

Still, the series is a good way to see if NZ have learnt from the mistakes they made in Bangladesh last year, and a better way for the returning players to find their feet once again than the upcoming Australian tour.

The New Boys: The most talked about selection is the inclusion of bowling allrounder Doug Bracewell, nephew of NZ's abrasive ex-coach. A comment on Stuff from someone who's watched him closely: "He's not going to rip through line-ups, but if he stops jumping away from the stumps in his delivery stride, he will become a much more dangerous bowler. At the moment that little flaw makes him easy to pick and decent batsmen will exploit that. If he fixes a couple of technical issues, he will no doubt get a crack and does have the ability to perform."

Rob Nicol, who played a couple of T20s last year, is back. Word is he'll be competing with Kane Williamson and James Franklin for the spot created by Scott Styris' departure, though I can't figure out why he isn't in the test squad given NZ badly need a new opener. Domestic veteran Graeme Aldridge is also there; more on him below.

The Injury List: Tim Southee V 2.0 was a revelation at the World Cup, even if he went overboard with the aggression at times; now, just before the next international assignment, he ends up doing what any good NZ seamer would - get injured. In his place comes 33-year old Aldridge, who's enjoyed success on the domestic scene for several years without recognition from selection panels. This is an interesting move from Wright, because earlier selectors seemed to show little trust in the domestic scene, and preferred to chuck young players in the deep end straightaway instead.

Also injured is Grant Elliott. Styris' retirement might have given him the chance to reclaim his spot, but it looks like he is set to drop further down the list.

Watch Out For: James Franklin, who enjoyed good form in the middle order for Mumbai in the Champions League. One hopes Franko sees he has a great chance (to cement his place) and takes it. Also looking forward to watching the Zimbabwean new ball duo of Brian Vitori (if he makes the test squad) and Kyle Jarvis.

Thought for the Day - Reflecting on the Passage of Time Edition: When I started following international cricket, Jarvis' dad Malcolm was playing for Zimbabwe (and yeah, Shaun Marsh's dad Geoff was playing for Oz). Phew.