Tour Party to Australia, and How They Spent the Last Week

The touring squad to Australia was announced yesterday. It was quite predictable, though why they have named only thirteen is a bit of a mystery (apparently a fourteenth slot will go to a backup pace bowler).

Two practice games (one against New South Wales and the other against Australia 'A') were originally scheduled. Two games is nothing short of a luxury in this age of compressed itineraries, but John Wright was one step ahead as usual. 'Shake' decided that the batsmen were all guaranteed to get some time in the middle if they turned out for their state sides instead, so the NSW game was scrapped, and the likes of McCullum, Vettori and Taylor graced the provinces with their presence for the first time since who-knows-when.

Trent Boult was the only bolter in the squad (cue: bad puns galore if this guy enjoys a long international career) but given that even I had predicted his inclusion in the previous post, clearly he wasn't a bolt from the blue (OK enough).

Naturally with this round of Plunket Shield games serving as a quick audition for the tour, all eyes were on the returning players and hopefuls. Here's how they spent the last week:

Martin Guptill: The two-toed wonder dug in, set up camp, and carried his bat with 195 for Auckland against Canterbury, and followed it up with 27 in the second innings. Brisbane conditions will likely prove harsher than Rangiora, but for the moment Guppy looks a happy camper.

Brendon McCullum: The Prince made a rare visit to the Shield in Otago whites, and it was a quick one - 26 and 2 were his scores. Not in the best of form and needs to lift.

Kane Williamson: If Guptill was, well, tent-bound, the wunderkid was a positively gluttonous immovable object who feasted on Wellington's attack for an undefeated 284. In red-hot form now.

Ross Taylor: Took a vacation from the captaincy (Jamie How skippers Central) and run-scoring (24 in his only knock). His last four test innings have all been fifties-not-converted-to-centuries, so he already shares one trait with a successful previous NZ skipper.

Jesse Ryder: Knocked over by Boult and Vettori for 0 and 19 respectively. One is not sure how exactly the Knight Ryder spent the last week, but whatever he'd been drinking is best discarded it would seem.

Dean Brownlie: NZ's very own Western Australian seemed pretty desperate to make the flight across the Tasman, and duly racked up 171 for Canterbury. An appealing prospect for Australia - strong off the backfoot, knowledge of local conditions, and in good touch, but no one has seen him against really high -class bowling yet.

Daniel Vettori: Now that Dan has been spared a range of duties from driving the team bus to making all the runs himself, turning out for Northern Districts as allrounder at no.5 was nothing short of a paid vacation. Bowling figures of 3/28, and 48 with the bat, so what you expect is what you continue to get. But the nagging feeling is that he has completely forgotten to spin the ball.

Reece Young: The least flashy member of the side decided to spend the week teeing off, scoring 80 in a big partnership with Brownlie and getting dropped three times in the process. Potentially an important player in the Australia tests with his keeping and lower-order runs.

Doug Bracewell: You're a young NZ promising fast bowler, snaring a five-wicket haul in your first test. What next? Yes, you get injured and sidelined. Should be a starter for Brisbane though, in favourable, swinging conditions.

Tim Southee: No messing around for him this week as he destroyed Wellington with 7-37.

Chris Martin: Celebrated reaching 200 test wickets by collecting the NZ Player of the Year Award which, you feel, was awarded more out of sentiment than anything else. Continuing on from Zimbabwe, he must have believed he was in an extended benefit game, returning match figures of 3/123 for Auckland. I'm a huge fan of the Phantom, but it's apparent age is catching up with him, and you feel every game he plays from now on will see him battling to retain his place. Not to mention he has never troubled the Aussies. Still, when you write him off, this is what happens.

BJ Watling: Scored 4 in his outing with Northern Districts, and a WTF selection given he is in terrible form. BJ (unfortunate initials much?) looked a decent bat when he started out two years ago, but his game has deteriorated since and he could hardly hit the ball off the square in Zimbabwe. Fortunately, if the top six stay fit he shouldn't be needed in Australia.

Trent Boult: 11 wickets from high-class swing bowling in two games according to reports - OK, a great many of us wanted him in the side and we've got our man. For all that, I've never seen the guy bowl, so no idea at what pace he swings it ('Faster than James Franklin' according so some eyewitnesses, but then so is my neighbour's kid). Will be tempting to see him as part of a 4 man pace attack, which would be a bold and exciting move for the tests though I can't see NZ doing it.