Cricket: Resting McCullum carries risks: Wright - New Zealand Herald

Omitting pugnacious wicketkeeper-batsman Brendon McCullum from both short-form cricket series in the West Indies could backfire, national coach John Wright admitted yesterday.

McCullum has been rested for the T20 and ODI series as part of a plan to give leading players short breaks in the coming months.

New Zealand's top-order batting in the seven limited-overs games will be in the hands of Martin Guptill, Rob Nicol, Daniel Flynn, Kane Williamson and possibly BJ Watling.

"[Resting McCullum] was decided some time ago with myself, [fellow selector] Kim Littlejohn and [director of cricket] John Buchanan, from the point of view that there was an awful lot of cricket coming up," Wright said.

"That also gives us an opportunity to look at someone else."

McCullum, said Wright, had accepted the decision to sit those games out, although you'd suspect through gritted teeth. McCullum is a doer, not a watcher.

"In this case he accepted that perhaps a spell would not be a bad thing, given the fact also of his IPL commitments. People will comment on that, but it's reality," Wright added.

Watling and possibly young Canterbury lefthander Tom Latham will share the wicketkeeping role in the T20 and ODI legs of the trip, which starts late next month.

The test squad is fairly predictable, with Otago left-armer Neil Wagner getting his opportunity now that he is eligible to represent New Zealand. But Wright, who is preparing for his last tour in the coaching job, sounded a word of caution.

"You can't have enough depth in that area and he's going to add to that," Wright said.

"It will be a step up [from domestic cricket] and he will have to understand the disciplines that go with bowling in test cricket."

Legspinner Tarun Nethula is a pleasing addition to the test squad, having done encouragingly against South Africa when given ODI opportunities last summer.

Having two left-armers in the five-strong seam quartet, Wagner and Trent Boult, might raise eyebrows. It shouldn't.

If they are among the five best they should go. In any case, barring injuries, it is highly unlikely both will play in the Antigua and Jamaica tests.

Boult was omitted for the second and third tests against South Africa in March, but he has caught the eye and should be encouraged.

Tim Southee is back in the short-form squads, but needs to prove himself ready for a test return.

The naming yesterday was good news for Auckland spinner Ronnie Hira, who made a tidy start against Zimbabwe and South Africa. The world T20 championship is coming up in Sri Lanka in September. Spin will be crucial. Hira has his chance.

Little Central Districts wicketkeeper Kruger van Wyk deserved to keep his place in the test squad, while Watling offers specialist batting backup, as well as keeping van Wyk on his toes.

Veteran allrounder Jacob Oram is heading to the Caribbean, but James Franklin is not, a stint of T20 for Essex being lined up to keep him in trim for the world championship.

Oram's selection means three survivors of the last trip to the West Indies, in 2002, remain, Dan Vettori and Chris Martin the others.

The tour starts with a brace of T20s in Florida on June 30 and July 1 before five ODIs, then ends with the second test, starting on August 2.

By David Leggat | Email David

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Cricket: S African leading NZ candidate - New Zealand Herald

A low-profile South African is emerging as a leading contender to take over from John Wright, as significant changes to New Zealand's cricket coaching structure are brewing.

An increasingly hectic international programme and the need for expertise over three formats has compelled New Zealand Cricket to look at overhauling the brief of the head coach.

NZC was impressed by the way South Africa structured their coaching and management team during their ruthless dismantling of New Zealand this year.

One of the key planks of the Proteas' operations has been Paddy Upton.

The 43-year-old has been South African coach Gary Kirsten's right-hand man going back to their days in charge of the Indian team from 2008 until the end of last year's World Cup.

The pair are business partners and Upton joined the South African staff in June last year as mental conditioning coach.

Despite strong ties to Kirsten, Upton, who played two first-class games for Western Province and is currently trainer and mental skills coach at the Pune Warriors in the Indian Premier League, is known to covet a head role in international cricket.

Despite his lack of credentials as an international player, he is regarded as a coach with the wide and necessary range of skills.

The Herald understands that while decisions on the replacement for Wright are some way off, the models used by both South Africa and England - where former Zimbabwe batsman Andy Flower is the head of team operations - appeal to NZC.

At those teams, a head coach has several staff under him with specific roles in ODI, T20 or test cricket and an element of rotation applies, related to the type of cricket each tour involves.

One scenario might see the head coach delegate a short tour to his most relevant assistant while he remains at home preparing for the next assignment.

"Whilst the team is touring and playing one form of the game you must ensure other specialists are preparing [for other assignments] as well. South Africa do that; England do that and it is something we need to look at," said NZC chief executive David White.

White said the demanding nature of the Future Tours Programme, now inked in from this year until 2020, means it is prudent to consider how the national side is run.

With Wright still in charge until the end of the tour of the West Indies in July-August, NZC believes the time is right to investigate all options.

"It's tough enough for the players, but for the coaches and support staff it's tremendously challenging for them to be away from home, on the road that long, and to have just one role when you've got three distinct forms of the game," White said.

White spent time discussing the model with South African officials during their recent tour.

Another coach in the frame is Wellington's Australian, Jamie Siddons, who has completed his first season in charge, after working under NZC director of cricket John Buchanan as an Australian assistant coach, then doing three years with Bangladesh. He rates Buchanan's lateral thinking skills while his term with Bangladesh gave him an insight into the demands on coaches in the modern game.

"With the World Cup in 2015 you probably do need someone fully focused on one-day cricket, and that's really difficult if you're on tour trying to win tests and T20 competitions," Siddons said.

"From my experience in Bangladesh, that makes it really difficult to stay on top of it all. It does get big on you and you end up doing things half-paced."

With a young family, Siddons said he would need to consider all aspects if offered a part in a new NZC setup, but would be interested in a role.

"It's too exciting not to be interested."

By Dylan Cleaver and David Leggat | Email Dylan

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