"But Hess [coach Mike Hesson] and Brendon [McCullum] have instilled belief in this team with the formula we've got playing our style of cricket. If we keep doing that I can see definite improvements."
Like their compatriots of the 1980s, the 2014 model has the capability to be suffixed by that elusive term "era" if they continue in this vein.
The next 12 months will provide proof with test series away in all conditions against England, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Australia.
One of the beauties of hindsight is that you can go back through press conferences and stitch together clues as to what shaped subsequent events.
In this series, captain Brendon McCullum's response on the eve of the second test becomes a key piece of evidence.
After a 248-run rout in Abu Dhabi, he'd have been within his rights to play a straight bat and "dunny door" questions about expectations in Dubai. Not McCullum. He spoke with fervour about his side's capabilities.
"In the West Indies we lost heavily in Trinidad but responded with a good performance to win the series [2-1] in the third test. We've been here before, we've done it before.
"One of the things we've prided ourselves on is making subtle adjustments when we have found ourselves caught short."
He reflected yesterday on the test successes under his captaincy:
"From the low of being bowled out for 45 against South Africa [in January 2013] we could only go up.
"I think that allowed us to strip things right back to what was important, how we wanted to be known as a team, how the country wanted us to play and the traits they wanted to see.
"I think they want to see fighting characteristics; a team that never gives up and, if we do get beaten, make sure we're hard to beat."
Andrew Alderson travelled to the UAE courtesy of Emirates.
