Cricket: Axe set to fall on Black Cap veterans

New Zealand Cricket officials are preparing to draw a bold red line through the names of some of the country's longest-serving players.

This year's annual contracts muster, set to be completed by June 1, is expected to signal the end of an era for half-a-dozen well-known internationals, among them Chris Harris, Craig McMillan, Paul Wiseman and Daryl Tuffey.

Star all-rounder Chris Cairns has already jumped ship and the other player unlikely to remain on the 20-man list is Otago opening batsman Craig Cumming.

Between them, the sextet have played 743 one-day internationals and nearly 200 tests. To scupper them will create the biggest turnover of experience since the annual pay-round started in its present form in 2003.

On the other hand, the move is expected to open up a number of vacancies for a string of worthy contenders, including spin-bowler Jeetan Patel, paceman Michael Mason, and batsmen Jamie How, Peter Fulton, Ross Taylor and Mathew Sinclair.

Andre Adams would almost certainly be another to demand inclusion, but it's understood he'd prefer not to be contracted on the basis that it allows him an unfettered right to ply his trade in England.

The next contract year is shaping as a massive challenge for the New Zealand one-day side in particular, and it's thought that John Bracewell and his selectors will want their options thoroughly covered in the shorter game.

New Zealand are scheduled to play the Champions Trophy in October-November, the Chappell-Hadlee Series in December, the VB Series in January and the World Cup in March.

Possibly the biggest bone of contention will be the decision on McMillan, who lost his place in the one-day side at the end of last summer's Chappell-Hadlee Series, and has not been required for test duty since March last year.

With 175 ODI caps to his name, he has the experience to be a useful squad member, and probably would have taken encouragement from his appointment as captain of one of the New Zealand A teams to compete in Australia.

For all that, his inconsistency over the past couple of seasons means he is now viewed as chronically unreliable, and it would be a surprise if Bracewell and his advisers managed to find room for him in their Top 20.

Ditto for Harris, who's played 250 ODIs, but can no longer offer anything to the New Zealand squad that isn't already covered by the incumbents.

Tuffey wasn't able to play a State Shield or Championship match last season and seems likely to be superseded by Mason; Wiseman has been overtaken by Patel in the spinners' pecking order, and Cumming by How and Fulton.

It only remains to be seen whether Bracewell can bite the bullet over Sinclair and return him to international duty.

Such a move would not appear overly rash after the right-hander averaged 51.64 in last summer's four-day competition, and 46.28 in the one-dayers. The likely promotion of Taylor should prove timely given the schedule facing the New Zealand team this year, and the right-hander's blossoming form in both the Shield and the Championship over the past season.

Taylor averaged 38.35 in the four-day format and was on fire in the domestic one-day competition, striking 603 runs at 67.00 - a performance that earned him an ODI debut against the West Indies.