Adam Parore: And now for the good things

New Zealand's cricketers would have enjoyed a celebration and a chance to put their feet up after beating Sri Lanka this week.

It was the ideal way to end an extended summer which has had its share of pain. The three-month break before going to Zimbabwe will give them a chance to reflect on not only the pounding from the Australians, but the good things that happened.

Mostly they were individual rather than collective, but one of the most interesting aspects of the season was the emergence of a clutch of new players.

Just consider, if the likes of Scott Styris and Jacob Oram had not been injured, would Hamish and James Marshall and Lou Vincent have been given their chance? Unlikely.

What has been rather glossed over this year is that New Zealand is in a consolidation stage, trying to re-establish a team after losing a group of experienced players.

It wasn't that long ago that players like Dion Nash, Simon Doull, Chris Cairns, Shayne O'Connor and myself provided the core of the team.

Now that job has fallen to the likes of Stephen Fleming, Nathan Astle, Daniel Vettori and Chris Martin.

Most of the players will individually take something positive out of the season, perhaps a couple of good bowling spells, a strong innings.

As a team unit, maybe not. They should always have beaten Sri Lanka, so they shouldn't be singing too much about that, and Australia were just too good.

Deep down, they should remember the lessons of that visit by the world's finest team. The wounds will still be open, but they must learn from the experience. The key lesson was the pace at which the Australians played. They are aggressive and take the game away from their opponents. They put opposition under pressure and maintain it until they break.

We have cricketers who individually are capable of doing that. Astle, Oram, Styris among the batsmen have all done that. But New Zealand don't do it consistently and often enough as a team.

The big hit of the summer was Hamish Marshall. It was not just the amount of runs he made which impressed me, but his composure.

If you are a half decent international cricketer you're going to have at least one brilliant summer when everything falls your way.

His is yet to come, but I'd wager it could include two or three double-hundreds. He's got that look about him, and it's worth remembering that he's only played seven tests but is already the rock around which innings will be constructed, I suspect, for years to come.

What we have seen from him this summer I suspect will become typical of the level at which he will perform - which begs the question, when he really hits his straps how many runs can he churn out?

I'd also give a thumbs-up to Vincent, who grabbed his chance on comeback well and finished the summer with that fine double-hundred in Wellington.

James Marshall looks to have the goods. James Franklin had his moments and, even if he concedes a few more runs than he should, he looks like he can take wickets regularly.

Vettori was as good as ever, Astle made runs and Brendon McCullum played well all summer. He should have finished with two test hundreds, a fine effort for a wicketkeeper, and his glovework continues to improve.

He now carries the expectation of his team-mates, who demand that he produces big scores regularly and has the rare ability, as Adam Gilchrist has, to demoralise test quality attacks.

This gift will set him apart, not only from the other keepers around the traps, but also from a few of those who bat ahead of him in the lineup.

There were times it was grim watching this summer. But out of that we might finish up with something to savour next season.