Cricket: Williamson and Guptill to compete for test spot

Martin Guptill. Photo / Getty Images

A process of elimination suggests fast-rising Kane Williamson and recalled batsman Martin Guptill will be vying for one batting spot when New Zealand's three-test series against India starts at Ahmedabad on November 4.

The 15-man squad announced yesterday for one of international cricket's more daunting tasks includes seven batsmen, one of whom will drop out in the final makeup.

It is highly likely the selectors, captain Dan Vettori, coach Mark Greatbatch and Glenn Turner, will want to persevere with Tim McIntosh and BJ Watling as an opening combination.

Key batsmen Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder will occupy No 4 and 5 spots, with Brendon McCullum - now playing as a specialist batsman in the longest form of the game - expected to get an opportunity to show he can make a decent fist of the No 3 position.

That leaves a two-into-one situation for No 6, with Vettori and wicketkeeper Gareth Hopkins, plus three other bowlers to follow.

McIntosh and Watling have opened in the last four tests, producing stands of 60, 90 unbroken, 17, 2, 3, 70, 4 and 40. It is a mixed bag, but enough to persuade the panel to stick with the left-right handed pair at least initially in India.

"Ideally we'd like to keep that combination going," Greatbatch said last night.

Williamson compiled his maiden ODI century in Bangladesh, the shining light in an otherwise desperately gloomy collection of batting performances.

Guptill averages a useful 35.36 from his 11 tests however he lost his way during the mid-year tri-series in Sri Lanka, was sent to Zimbabwe with New Zealand A to regain some form, but struggled. It seems the only way the pair will play in the same top six is if the opening pairing falls apart.

For all New Zealand's batting travails in Bangladesh en route to a 4-0 ODI drubbing, it's worth noting that three of the top seven batsmen have averaged 50 or more over the last 11 tests, that is from March 2009 until last March.

Taylor averages 53 in that period; Ryder 50.33 and Vettori just touches 50 too, while McCullum's runs in that time have come at 45 per innings.

The next batting cab off the rank is Jamie How, who has been in strong form recently, for both Central Districts in the Champions League and NZ A in Zimbabwe.

A continuation of that in the opening two Plunket Shield rounds should make him an absolute monty for the ODI series in India to follow the tests.

Although two of the three senior fast-medium candidates, Kyle Mills and Daryl Tuffey, are missing, Greatbatch likes the mix of the five chosen. Hamish Bennett - with Williamson the only uncapped players in the squad - won his spot with a couple of wholehearted displays in Bangladesh.

Andy McKay brings the left arm element into the options, Chris Martin holds his place as senior seamer despite an average return last season, while Tim Southee - who took six wickets in his last test against Australia - and steady Brent Arnel, who took five top Australian wickets in his first two tests, round out the group.

Mills' lack of first-class cricket - he hasn't played a game in that form for 20 months - counted against him, but the door is open.

"He's very keen to play test cricket again," Greatbatch said of the country's leading limited-overs seamer. "He'll play first-class cricket in the next month and we want to get him back into that form again."

The squad fly out of Christchurch next Saturday.

SQUAD
Brent Arnel (Northern Districts), Hamish Bennett (Canterbury), Martin Guptill (Auckland), Gareth Hopkins (Auckland), Chris Martin (Auckland), Brendon McCullum (Otago), Tim McIntosh (Auckland), Andy McKay (Wellington), Jeetan Patel (Wellington), Jesse Ryder (Wellington), Tim Southee (Northern Districts), Ross Taylor (Central Districts), Daniel Vettori (captain, Northern Districts), BJ Watling (Northern Districts), Kane Williamson (Northern Districts)

TEST SCHEDULE
Nov 4-8: First test, Ahmedabad

Nov 12-16: Second test, Hyderabad

Nov 20-24: Third test, Nagpurby David Leggat