Cricket: Toughest job - who to leave out

By RICHARD BOOCK

The additional value of Chris Cairns will be underlined in red ink today when coach John Bracewell announces his test squad for the coming tour of England.

Cairns' availability, announced earlier this week, allows Bracewell the luxury of gambling on a couple of selections, safe in the knowledge that his in-form all-rounder can lend his hand wherever required.

So valuable is Cairns in terms of balance that Bracewell now seems almost certain to include Shane Bond and Nathan Astle in the squad, despite the fact that neither has made a full return from injury.

Bond, on the comeback trail from a stress-fracture injury, played for New Zealand A in one of the limited-over matches against Sri Lanka A, but has not yet recaptured his former pace or penetration.

The Canterbury fast-bowler suffered his back injury during last May's tour of Sri Lanka, at which stage he was widely accepted as the third quickest in the world, just behind Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar and Australia's Brett Lee.

The question now, however, is whether Bond can rediscover the edge that brought him 43 wickets in 10 tests, given that the latest injury forced a fundamental change to his action, and he is nearly 29. Astle's future appears even less clear, but the selectors apparently believe that he can bring himself up to speed outside the match environment, and will not be unduly handicapped by the lack of match play.

Battling back from a knee operation, Astle last played for New Zealand during the October test series in India, when he helped rescue the first match, despite suffering from food poisoning, and made a century in the second.

Bracewell has already indicated that Astle and Bond have a strong chance of touring if deemed available for selection by New Zealand Cricket's medical panel.

The theory is that, even if both should fall over before the first test at Lord's, a squad including Cairns and fellow allrounder Jacob Oram would be well-equipped to cover with bat and ball.

And while that seems likely to mean good news for Bond and Astle, the same cannot be said for the prospects of players such as Paul Wiseman, Lou Vincent, Matthew Bell, Ian Butler and Michael Mason, all of whom appear destined to miss the cut.

Restricted to a 14-man squad, Bracewell has few other dilemmas, apart from breaking the bad news to several unlucky fringe players and sending his best wishes to Mathew Sinclair, who seems likely to be included.

Prolific in both forms of the game at domestic level this season, Sinclair made 74 after being recalled for the third test against South Africa and has also been making buckets of runs against Sri Lanka A.

His inclusion would not only provide cover for the top and middle-order positions, it would also give Bracewell another opening option, something that could yet become an issue if Michael Papps was to struggle early on.

As for the spin attack, Bracewell will take Daniel Vettori, but seems unlikely to include either Paul Wiseman or Bruce Martin as a second option, mainly because the early-season English pitches are expected to be seam-friendly.

Possible squad

Stephen Fleming (captain), Mark Richardson, Michael Papps, Nathan Astle, Scott Styris, Craig McMillan, Brendon McCullum, Chris Cairns, Jacob Oram, Daniel Vettori, Daryl Tuffey, Shane Bond, Chris Martin, Matthew Sinclair.