View photos: NZ v England, fifth one-dayerKEY POINTS:
When New Zealand's selectors gather to analyse the positives out of the one-day series win against England, they will start at the top and linger there awhile.
A masters degree in cricket is not needed to appreciate the key to New Zealand's win in Christchurch which clinched the
series 3-1 with one tied.
Both captains rammed home the point with their tributes to the opening partnership of Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder as they judged where the final ODI had been won and lost.
Late rain turned what promised to be a tight finale into a easy 34-run win under the Duckworth/Lewis calculations.
That New Zealand had it in the bag before the rain was down to the rollicking start.
The openers put on 103, their second century stand of the series, the buccaneering McCullum cracking 77 off 43 balls, with six sixes; the tyro Ryder 24 in 32 balls.
"I can't remember the number of times I got off my seat to watch a six clear well over the ropes," Vettori said of the series.
"The way Jesse and Brendon have started the game sets us up. The way one-day and Twenty20 cricket is going, you need a couple of openers who can set a tone, set up a game."
England's Paul Collingwood talked of "these guys hitting good-length balls, and balls normally bowled at the top of off stump, into the stands".
What made Saturday's stand so impressive was the manner in which McCullum and Ryder attacked their work in pursuit of a target, 243, New Zealand were always confident of reaching.
To be fair, the batsmen were helped by another generous helping from the England fast-medium bowlers, who spread their generosity like millionaires throwing $100 bills to the wind.
This was not a frenetic start in pursuit of a far-off objective - such as the 341 they needed in the tie at Napier last Wednesday. A more sedate start would probably have served as well.
But the pair seemed to have picked up an important lesson. The great West Indian openers, Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes, never held back no matter how small an ODI target.
Their reasoning: by taking the initiative early they were guarding against any mid-innings wobbles. Go hard from the start no matter the length of the race.
McCullum and Ryder are no Greenidge and Haynes, nor even a Matthew Hayden-Adam Gilchrist yet. But the signs are hugely encouraging.
Both are clean hitters, both have a sharp eye and neither is shy of a challenge.
"On their day they can take the game away from you," Collingwood said.
And he'd know as well as anyone.
