NEW Zealand captain Ross Taylor says the selection of his side is “90%” complete ahead of next month’s two-Test tour of Australia, although players have one last chance to impress in this week’s warm-up match. Taylor, travelling to Australia in his first Trans-Tasman series as skipper, said the team was largely already selected but hinted a change in traditional tactics could mean Trent Boult may get an opportunity if he plays well against Australia A, which gets under way in Brisbane on Thursday.
“I’d say we’re 90% there. There are still injuries and performances in the A match but I guess we’re only taking 12 to 13.
You already know who the team will be,” Taylor said. “I think with the balance of the side it’s probably going to be the talking point of going with four quicks or three quicks, with Dan (Vettori) batting at six.”
While the door has been opened for Boult – who Taylor admitted has had an “outstanding start” to the season – even a good performance against Australia A may not be enough for the youngster.
“Even if he bowls well he still might not make the team as well, so we’ll just have to wait and see,” added Taylor.
“I haven’t seen the wicket yet. There’s all this talk about how bouncy and how fast the wicket is. There’s a lot more to go under the bridge until then.
The wicket at the Allan Border Oval is very flat and a lot of touring teams probably tire the bowlers out, so we’ll be trying to conserve the bowlers’ energy as much as possible.”
Aside from the bowling dilemma, the team has benefited from some heavy contributions from players for their domestic sides, with Martin Guptill’s 195 for Auckland and Kane Williamson’s record-breaking 284 for Northern Districts meaning the side picked itself.
One of those big scorers – Guptill – was feeling relatively relaxed ahead of the series, and said: “We’re not feeling too bad at the moment, but I’m sure getting closer to the first Test I’ll be getting a few butterflies.”
Australia’s second-innings capitulation for 46 in the first of their two-Test series against South Africa has seen a lot of people question the home side’s stability, but Taylor is all too wary of the talent within the side.
He added: “Any time you play Australia they’re always competitive. They’re always going to be tough and we’re going to need to be on our game to be competitive and take it into that fifth day, and you never know what happens from there.” (PA Sport)