Thoughts on the Ongoing Caribbean Series

Captaincy...um.. sure, why not?

-- New Zealand came into this tour woefully under prepared, and are missing several key players at the moment. However, I believe the result would be no different even at full strength; NZ have been a shaky limited-overs side for nearly three years now. On top of that, since the end of the 2011 World Cup NZ had played only 9 ODIs, 6 of them against Zimbabwe. This is a serious long-term lack of matchplay and, for me, the more telling factor.

-- Still, NZC should take a good hard look at themselves for the way this tour was approached. When expenditure is trotted out as a reason for not having a preparatory camp, you have really got to be concerned about the way the game is being run at the national level.

-- Chris Gayle just hasn't looked like getting out. Earlier, he would always give the bowler a chance; now, in the manner of a cold-blooded killer, he picks his targets carefully (and just about anything NZ throw at him makes for an appealing target). The way he's been going, NZ's best hope is probably for Gayle to use up his run of amazing form by the time the tests start!

-- How good are the West Indies really? Are they a truly formidable (limited-overs) side who are just starting to hit their straps, or are they simply capitalsiing on some indifferent bowling and tentative batting against spin from the kiwis? It's tempting to think that better bowling sides like South Africa or Pakistan would put them in their place, but certainly in slower, drier conditions they are emerging as a force to be reckoned with.

-- I wouldn't completely rule out a NZ fightback in this series. The conditions are taking a while to get used to, but I expect the side to improve with every game. The remainder of the series could be a lot more competitive.

 -- Sunil Narine is, expectedly , having a major influence on this series. While the NZ batsmen are probably not confident enough to use their feet against him and get away with it, I'm surprised they haven't employed the sweep shot a bit more. BJ Watling has managed it with some success.

-- NZ have summoned the test specialists - McCullum, Trent Boult, Chris Martin, Neil Wagner - early. I say go ahead and play them in the remaining one-dayers. It would be a lot to expect them to hit the ground running in the tests.

-- Tim Southee is fast becoming New Zealand's Ajit Agarkar - not a good thing. While he may still have a good one-day series, I think the management has missed a trick by not arranging a first-class stint for him in England or South Africa. He hasn't played enough domestic cricket since the start of his career, and in my opinion this is hurting his progress.

-- Kane Williamson has no doubt been marked as a future full-time captain. Even if the task of leading the current side is a rather thankless one, one supposes the experience will be beneficial. Still, I hope he's able to develop his batting for a good four-five years before the top job comes calling. Stephen Fleming was 23 when he took over, and his growth as a batsman was stunted as a result.