KEY POINTS:
Andy Moles had his first day on the job as the new New Zealand coach yesterday and has already made some changes.
It had been two weeks since the man nicknamed "Molar" was appointed and he has had to wait patiently for the side to return from Australia
before sinking his teeth into the job. When his moment finally arrived, it was on a wet Dunedin day which forced training inside.
Not exactly an ideal beginning with the first test against the West Indies starting on Thursday. But the poor weather did little to dull his enthusiasm.
First on his checklist was to rejig the top order with free-flowing left-hander Jesse Ryder dropping down two places in the batting line-up to No 5 - a position to which Ryder and most cricket pundits agree he is better suited.
Ryder's spot at No 3 will be filled by another left-hander, gritty Northern Districts batsman Daniel Flynn, who is a more compact player.
"Flynny will go to three," Moles said. "We just think his skill sets are best suited to seeing off the new ball.
"Jesse is a destructive player. Exposing him to the ball a little bit later the way he plays, I mean, he'll be very dangerous for us and get us a big score."
It is a small change and is unlikely to immediately remedy an ailing top order which was exposed against Australia. But it is a step in the right direction and a clear sign Moles has been busy thinking about what needs to be done to stop New Zealand's slide down the test rankings.
"It has been well documented ... that we need to get off to good starts and the same message will be there. Hopefully, we draw a line under what has gone on before. It's a fresh approach and we're looking forward."
The selectors rang the changes following the tour of Australia. Opener Aaron Redmond and Cantabrian Peter Fulton went after the top six failed to make any impression.
Auckland's Tim McIntosh replaced Redmond and Wellington pace bowler Mark Gillespie swapped places with Chris Martin. All-rounders Jacob Oram and James Franklin come in to the 12 for Fulton and swing bowler Tim Southee.
Given it was the batting which let New Zealand down, there were some raised eyebrows when Martin and Southee were both axed. Southee, in particular, bowled brilliantly during the first test in Brisbane.
Moles, though, stood by the side selected, and is confident his attack has the firepower to rattle the West Indies line-up which features the ICC cricketer of the year, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and the in-form Ramnaresh Sarwan.
"It has been well publicised that I'm not on the selection panel. But I can say we had a really good selection meeting ... and I'm really happy with the outcome.
"I think we've got a really good, balanced side and I'm looking forward to getting into battle against the West Indies."
Gillespie will spearhead the attack alongside either Iain O'Brien or Franklin with Oram bowling first change or second change depending on the mix. Daniel Vettori will shoulder the slow bowling duties with Jeetan Patel's chances of getting a rare start dissolving with every drop of rain.
The forecast is mixed with Raineffects hydrologist Dave Stewart suggesting the grey skies may lift. The MetService, however, predicts rain for the first two days of the test.
- OTAGO DAILY TIMES
