Cricket: NZ need to show some steel in warmup

Kane Williamson will look to continue his fine form after scoring 284 not out last week. Photo / Getty Images

It will be a major surprise if New Zealand face anything other than a stern examination in their solitary test series buildup game against Australia A in Brisbane.

That's partly because the Australia A team to play New Zealand in the four-dayer starting at Allan Border Field today is the first chosen by Australia's new selection panel of former test batsman and headmaster John Inverarity, Rod Marsh, Andy Bichel and test captain Michael Clarke.

Players will want to impress the new guv'nors.

And partly there is a palpable sense of ambition among their 12. It has the whiff of young thrusters about it, leavened by the odd older head.

With question marks about the longevity of several Australian incumbents, notably batsmen Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey, wicketkeeper Brad Haddin and out-of-sorts left armer Mitchell Johnson, these are changing times for Australian cricket.

"The national selection panel has chosen an exciting group of players in this squad who we believe have considerable potential and are therefore having opportunity invested in them," Inverarity said.

It will be led by Tasmania's well-regarded George Bailey and includes hard-hitting lefthand opener David Warner. Wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, tipped as capable of challenging under-pressure incumbent Haddin, is in, as is former Dutch international Tom Cooper.

There is a quartet of pace bowlers, with a question mark over Johnson's fitness - not to mention his bowling - because of a toe injury, and fellow quick Ryan Harris' possible absence for the first test in Brisbane, starting next week.

Former test swing bowler Ben Hilfenhaus, who has taken 55 wickets in 17 tests, has the chance of a recall, and will battle alongside James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc and Ben Cutting for a spot in the first test squad.

Victorian Pattinson, and New South Wales left armer Starc are 21, slippery Queenslander Cutting is 24 and has taken 81 wickets in 20 first-class games at 25.25 apiece, including 23 at 14.65 in the current Sheffield Shield season.

New Zealand will name their side today, but must omit one player.

As it is a first-class game, there will be no ropy arrangements to use all bowlers in the group.

The four fast-medium bowlers - Chris Martin, Tim Southee, Doug Bracewell and left armer Trent Boult - could all play to give captain Ross Taylor and coach John Wright every chance to assess their options.

For Taylor yesterday the game was boiled down to being about "batters having time in the middle, and bowlers finding the right lengths and get wickets".

The value of the game should not be underestimated, especially for the batsmen. Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson and Dean Brownlie all made big centuries - a Northern Districts' record 284 not out in Williamson's case - in the Plunket Shield last week.

Jesse Ryder, Taylor and Brendon McCullum missed out. Going into the first test at the Gabba with little to show of late is no way to tackle Australia on their favourite stretch of test turf.

New Zealand need a strong performance, not only for themselves and self-belief, but also to show they won't be the pushovers Australians are wont to think them to be, on the strength of their recent trips across the Tasman.

AUSTRALIA A v NZ

BRISBANE STARTING TODAY

Australia A: George Bailey (c), David Warner, Ed Cowan, Tom Cooper, Matthew Wade, Steve Smith, Michael Beer, Ben Cutting, Ben Hilfenhaus, Nic Maddinson, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc.

New Zealand: (from) Ross Taylor (c), Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson, Jesse Ryder, Dean Brownlie, Dan Vettori, Reece Young, Doug Bracewell, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Chris Martin.