David Leggat: What the T20 has taught us

All sorts of permutations for our top five are possible, among them Martin Guptill. Photo / Getty Images

So now we know. T20 matters, as the reaction to New Zealand's blowout at Eden Park on Wednesday night shows.

But what have we learned about New Zealand in the shortest form of the game, over the last five matches against African opponents of vastly different quality?

Apart from the fact that Wednesday night's loss dropped them from second to fourth in the world rankings, and that they have just one T20 left before the world championships in Sri Lanka in September ...

New Zealand are not immune to botchups

Eden Park was a first-class choke, despite what South African skipper AB de Villiers thought later that night. Credit, he felt, should go to his players, rather than the slipper being put into the home side.

But it was the sort of tumble New Zealanders are hugely fond of pinning on ... the South Africans.

At Eden Park, the boots were definitely on Protean feet. South Africa held their nerve; New Zealand's went missing. Senior spinner Johan Botha was superb at the death, and young quick Marchant de Lange, seriously brisk off about 12 paces, bowled a terrific final over.

Jesse Ryder has copped a mountain of blame. He deserves a fair chunk of it, but others need to put their hands up, too. It was a collective failure and, given what had happened in the previous couple of hours, desperately dispiriting. But hey, it's only T20 right?

Flexibility

New Zealand certainly have it, and that is good. Take the batting. Kane Williamson, James Franklin and Nathan McCullum are serviceable in the 5-6-7 slots, in any order, depending on the situation. Williamson is a hustler, Franklin hits as long a ball as anyone, McCullum can advance the run rate rapidly.

In two of the three games, New Zealand had nine players who could be called bowling options (and apologies to Martin Guptill, who probably fancies his chances, too) and eight in the other.

That offers the captain a pile of choices.

This being a form of the game in which a bowler can very quickly discover it's not his day, or night, the skipper needs plenty of alternatives. One over can make or break a contest, even if bringing bowlers in and out of the attack in a blink can't help their chances of working into a rhythm and line.

The top four - or even five - are good

Guptill, Rob Nicol, Brendon McCullum, Jesse Ryder, not to forget Ross Taylor. Or swap McCullum with Nicol. Or put Nicol at No 5 and Ryder at No 3. All sorts of permutations are possible, but the key will be the balance. Guptill is in fine touch; Nicol a real asset, McCullum ain't going anywhere soon and Ryder is, well, Ryder.

Taylor returns soon as skipper. But having him ruled out of the ODI side deflects for the moment the issue of who, if anyone, should make way if the balance is seen to be wrong with all five there. Given that one of the five is a bowler, and one a wicketkeeper, it may not be a conundrum at all.

More games, please

New Zealand have just one T20 left in the Caribbean in July before the world championship. Can ODIs substitute as preparation? Well, only up to a point. T20 is distinctly different.

Skills and drills differ.

The Future Tours Programme is locked in, but New Zealand Cricket somehow need to find another couple of leadup games, otherwise New Zealand run the risk of turning up skinny in terms of preparation, and this is a form of the game the national team play pretty well. As a rule. They need to arrive in good shape because they should be a contender.

Consistency

Or lack of it, more to the point. The bowling has generally been sound, two nights in Hamilton excluded; the batting pretty steady, save the end at Eden Park. Think back to Wellington last Friday. Strong bowling backed by slick, concentrated fielding kept South Africa to 147 for six. New Zealand won in the final over, but it was more comfortable than that suggests.

At Hamilton, they were blown away by Hurricane Levi - and as well as the blockbusting opener struck the ball, there's no denying the bowling wasn't particularly savvy.

Then came Eden Park, when New Zealand were the superior outfit for the bulk of the contest, until the last five overs.

South Africa have now won six of the eight T20s against New Zealand. New Zealand are a decent T20 side, but Eden Park showed they still have edges that need smoothing. Mental as much as physical, too.