Black Cap ferry plan

Fairfax

ON TRIAL: Fast bowler Shane Bond will be tested with New Zealand A before he is considered for full international duty.

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Air traffic between Chennai and Colombo is likely to feature a number of New Zealand cricketers next month as they shuttle between international cricket tours.

The New Zealand team will be in Sri Lanka at the same time New Zealand A is playing in India, and the national selectors intend making the best possible use of the relatively short flight time (75 minutes) between the two cities to ferry players in and out of test and one-day series.

The teams for both tours will be named on Tuesday, along with the Sri Lankan itinerary. Although an itinerary was released recently which included just one warmup first-class game before the two tests, New Zealand Cricket has sought two buildup matches to give their players adequate preparation after coming in "cold" from the New Zealand winter.

Sri Lanka will have the advantage of being match-hardened after starting a series at home against Pakistan today.

The highest-profile player changing countries will be speedster Shane Bond, expected to start with New Zealand A and, provided his form and fitness hold, then join the Black Caps for the limited-over series that follows the tests. However, he is unlikely to be the only one switching series.

Specialist test players such as Chris Martin and Tim McIntosh are likely to flesh out the New Zealand A team after the likes of Bond, Ian Butler and perhaps Grant Elliott have joined the one-day side.

The test squad of 15, provided all are fit, is not that hard to choose. The top order batting tends to select itself, with Martin Guptill, McIntosh, Daniel Flynn, Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder likely to form the first five, followed by Jacob Oram, Brendon McCullum and Daniel Vettori.

Another all-rounder, James Franklin, should also be in the mix, with the pace bowling contingent comprising Martin, Iain O'Brien and probably Tim Southee.

Daryl Tuffey could also challenge for a place but, like Bond, may return with New Zealand A.

A second spinner is bound to be taken and that should be Jeetan Patel. However, he was recently released from his English county Warwickshire after sustaining what is regarded as a minor knee injury. Team manager Dave Currie is confident he will be fit for the tour.

That leaves just a couple of spots, and one should go to a reserve wicketkeeper-batsman, with the contracted Gareth Hopkins the frontrunner.

Another requirement is a backup specialist batsman and from the contracted list there are few options for test level, with Aaron Redmond, Peter Fulton, Craig Cumming and Jamie How, all top-order players, having failed to make the top 20.

Neil Broom is a possibility and Fulton has some respectable form against Sri Lanka in the past. Fulton will have the benefit of having had matchplay leading the New Zealand Emerging Players team on their visit to Queensland later this month.

Redmond is playing league cricket in England and filled the breach admirably at Twenty20 level when summoned in place of the injured Ryder.

Kane Williamson is a bright prospect who may become a Black Cap this season, but again it may be better to ease him in on the India tour.

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