Cricket: Black Caps selectors confident in Ross Taylor's return

Ross Taylor is back in the mix for the Black Caps. Photo / Photosport

Ross Taylor is out of Saturday's domestic T20 Super Smash final but New Zealand's selectors are confident he'll be ready for next week's first test against Bangladesh.

The country's senior batsmen has been in rousing limited-overs form since returning from surgery on his left eye.

Even though 20-over form doesn't bear much relation to the batting requirements of the five-day game, there is one hugely encouraging sign for Taylor.

In his last two T20 innings for Central Districts in their march to the final, he's made 82 off 41 balls against Auckland on December 29, and 80 off 50 against Canterbury two days later.

They amply demonstrated the removal of a ptereygium in his eye has done its job.

Then again, Taylor did hit his 16th test ton, 102 not out, in the innings immediately before his surgery to help set up the remarkable second test win over Pakistan in Hamilton at the end of November.

''We take the advice of our medical team and they basically indicated (sitting out Saturday's final) is precautionary," national selector Gavin Larsen said tonight.

''It's really unfortunate for CD but by the time the test team assembles he'll be fighting fit at 100 percent."

As Larsen put it, Taylor was ''middling a lot of balls, looked like he was seeing it very well and had a smile on his face" during those T20 innings.

That could be ominous for Bangladesh. Taylor has yet to reach three figures in eight test innings against them.

The 13 is the same as initially gathered in Hamilton for the most recent test. However Trent Boult was ruled out of that match a day before the start.

It was, Larsen conceded, a pretty straightforward selection.

That's not always the case, but the form against Pakistan, who lost their world No 1 ranking on the strength of that series defeat by New Zealand, weighed far more than, say, the ODI drubbing in Australia which followed shortly after.

''The team played really well against Pakistan," Larsen said.

''We had a couple of boys in their debut series in Jeets (Raval) and Colin (de Grandhomme) and they started really well. We've now got a really good solid core of test proven campaigners."

The No 5 position is the one specialist batting role with some contention surrounding it right now, and Larsen defended the retention of Henry Nicholls in the role.

Nicholls has had a good number of chances, averages 24.23 with just two scores over 40 in 14 innings.

''Yes, there are guys like Deano (Brownlie) in the squad, and there are cover from No 1 through No 5, and you have someone like Neil (Broom) starting to put his hand up and certainly not out of place at international level," Larsen said.

''But we're giving him another opportunity at five and picking him to be successful in the role."

New Zealand have won eight of their 11 tests against Bangladesh, including both previous matches at the Basin. In 2001 it was an innings and 74 runs; nine years ago it was an innings and 137.

It is the form of cricket at which they have the most work to do to close the gap with other nations, notwithstanding their win over England in their most recent test in Dhaka.

The New Zealand team for the first test against Bangladesh: Kane Williamson ©, Tom Latham, Jeet Raval, Ross Taylor, Dean Brownlie, Henry Nicholls, Colin de Grandhomme, BJ Watling, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult, Matt Henry.