Elliott's time has come

BY AARON LAWTON

Black Caps allrounder Grant Elliott won't be called upon to fill the big – and now vacant – shoes of retired test star Jacob Oram this summer.

That's the verdict from national selector Mark Greatbatch after unveiling his 13-man squad on Friday for the first two tests against Pakistan.

Tuesday's test at University Oval in Dunedin will be the Caps' first since world-class allrounder Oram retired from the five-day form of the game.

And given Elliott, who has only played three tests, the last coming last November against Australia, has been included in the squad, he looms as the likeliest man to replace "Big Jake" in the playing eleven.

But Greatbatch insists the South African-born one-day specialist has been given the nod purely for his batting.

"Grant is in as a batter, first and foremost. He has a second skill but really we are asking him to put all his energies into batting," he said yesterday.

"Bowling would simply be a bonus.

"We will have to see how that develops."

Greatbatch said he and his fellow selectors had looked to follow the example of the world's best test-playing nations when making their picks for the Pakistan series.

The selectors are looking to field a side with six specialist batsmen, four bowlers and a wicketkeeper.

"We're pretty satisfied with what we've come up with," he said.

"We've got a good squad there to start the series and hopefully we don't have to use any more players.

"There are one or two guys knocking on the door and they were unlucky to miss out but we are happy with our selections.

"We've gone for a balance of six batsmen, our four best bowlers and obviously our keeper to try and get a style and method of progressing in test cricket.

"I think a lot of the better test-playing nations go with a top six like we have.

"That's been an area that has been a weak link for us in the past, as far as not progressing with the bat in the longer form of the game.

"We've got a couple of newish guys in Peter Fulton, who has played tests before but has limited experience, and Grant Elliott.

"Fulton has had a good winter with the Emerging Player and New Zealand A tours and he's also started this season with a hiss and a roar. He's in good form and he's the sort of player who, if he can bat himself in, is very solid and he can bat time.

"That's what we need in the mix with our batters alongside our strokemakers.

"We have a pretty good balance there now and it's just about the guys putting their minds to it, being patient but also being positive.

"If it's a good deck, we need our guys to be batting for 120-130 overs."

Greatbatch, meanwhile, downplayed concerns skipper Daniel Vettori – now also a selector and caretaker coach – has too much on his plate heading into an important summer with tests against Pakistan, Bangladesh and Australia.

"He (Daniel) is very measured and relaxed and I thought his manner with the players was brilliant during the recent one-day and Twenty20 series against Pakistan in the UAE (United Arab Emirates)," he said.

"He's very calculated and thoughtful and he's also willing to listen and talk about the game.

"I think he's fine.

"Leadership for me is about performing and he always performs to a very high level.

"That's a big part of it because if he can lead well on the park, then that shows the guys the standard they need to follow.

"It's a positive thing."

Greatbatch also added his support to the widely publicised theory the Caps don't need to appoint someone to replace Andy Moles as coach.

"Maybe there is an opportunity there to do something a little bit different to what has been done in the past," he said.

"I know that New Zealand Cricket is canvassing a wide spectrum of people to get their thoughts on the matter.

"They are looking across the board to try and get the best system they can that can help us improve."

- © Fairfax NZ News