WRAP your laughing gear around this pearler - "Australasianisation".
Sticking by his guns, John Buchanan produced this summer's monster munch yesterday in what he perceives to be pockets of belief around the country that New Zealand cricket is undergoing a process of Australasianisation under his regime.
"The proof will be in the pudding and in getting the right people in the right roles," the New Zealand Cricket director of cricket said yesterday during a media phone conference from Christchurch which included Buchanan's latest appointment, Kim Littlejohn, who has assumed the mantle of national selection manager (NSM).
While his knowledge of New Zealand cricket culture is limited, Littlejohn isn't losing time building a rapport, after missing out on the team manager's position.
"I've watched them on TV a few times and done some research on on them in the last few weeks to start off the process ... ," Littlejohn said after arriving in the country on Monday before acquainting himself with elite players at a two-week Black Caps camp at Lincoln, Christchurch.
Buchanan said: "Kim is the best man for the job, irrespective of whether he's from Australia, New Zealand, England or where ever."
He appointed fellow Australian Littlejohn to the role of NSM from a list that included three other candidates - former New Zealand captain Ken Rutherford and past selectors Mark Greatbatch and Glenn Turner.
Former Australian cricket coach Buchanan said Littlejohn's personal attributes, character and skills were essential prerequisites to finding traction with the New Zealand culture in the sport.
Buchanan's philosophy is built on the concept of the NSM providing the foundation of making the final selection process for Black Caps coach John Wright smoother via selection feedback from major association coaches.
"In the traditional selectorial process there were three to four people around the countryside in terms of Black Caps and looking at players.
"There are too many voices and input from a selection point of view and I think that provides 'mis-communication' and poor feedback to players and coaches," Buchanan said.
Mark Greatbatch, of Havelock North, is still operating in an acting role "and doing a great job" to help ease Littlejohn into his position.
Greatbatch, who was initially in the Caps' stable as a batting coach, reluctantly took over the helm of the national men's team when retired skipper Daniel Vettori asked NZ Cricket protagonists to engage Greatbatch after a team rebellion that led to the unceremonious dumping of Andy Moles, of England.
Before former Northern Districts Knights coach Moles, some senior players were unhappy with coach John Bracewell who also departed for the county scene in England.
Buchanan is having further discussions with Greatbatch, a former New Zealand international, to potentially continue in a "networking" capacity.
While test cricket remained the pottery wheel for generating future Black Caps, Buchanan felt the shorter version of one-day and Twenty20 internationals was here to stay and would play an integral part as a yardstick of measuring success in the country.
"Of course, the longer form won't be ignored with 35 or 36 matches in the next three years," he said as New Zealand languish in eighth position in the test rankings, above Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
The domestic schedule this 2011-12 summer reflects that with the Plunket Shield four-day version offering the crusty bread to a meaty filling of HRV Cup T20 and one-dayers in a yawning 76-day gap in the prime-time school holiday period.
Despite overwhelming evidence, the abbreviated versions of the game are detrimental to a country's success - the fall of India and Australia - it seems NZ Cricket is mindful of the overtures from lucrative T20 competitions, such as the IPL and Australia's Big Bash, towards their elite players.
Last summer, dwindling crowds to domestic T20 matches suggested the public's infatuation with the hit-and-giggle format was wearing off although another theory is the unavailability of Black Caps may also be a factor.
Buchanan said taking the Black Caps as favourites into the 2015 World Cup Cricket - with Australia and New Zealand sharing hosting rights - remained a primary goal.
Littlejohn, who has worked for Bowls Australia since 2004 and Baseball Australia, yesterday reiterated his passion for cricket, a code he played up to first grade level in Perth.
While he went into sports management positions with little knowledge of baseball and bowls, Littlejohn said the language of cricket was the one he understood best.
"It's an exciting time and I want to embrace the new scene on the international stage," he said, undaunted by the enormity of embracing a sprawling area and confident checks and balances will weed out major association coaches' impartiality towards their own players.
There was also optimism over the recovery of fast bowlers Tim Southee and Hamish Bennett.