Adam Parore: Twin spin attack sure to keep Black Caps on their toes

The Black Caps must stick with the tried and true in the one-day internationals against the World XI.

Initially, I thought these games would be treated as any other ODI series.

Now, I'm not so sure, with hints they will become more expansive.

I hope they don't see these games as an excuse to tinker and experiment.

One-day cricket is a simple sort of game. New Zealand have succeeded because they have done the basics right and kept it simple.

The series has all the ingredients for a cricketing bonanza and I would be surprised if there was not at least one score of over 300 in the series.

Having said that, any match producing 500 runs in New Zealand is a bonus.

You would have to think, considering the batting and spin bowling options in the World XI, they will be the team to beat.

But, as we know, it only needs 40 minutes of Chris Cairns magic to change any game.

For me, the most interesting aspect of the World side is the chance to see two of the world's best spinners bowling in tandem.

If I was captain, I would be keen as mustard to get Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne bowling together. Then again, they have the option of having one or other bowling almost throughout the innings. That will be a real test for the New Zealand batsmen.

The likely inclusion of Craig McMillan in the top order might help. I was surprised he was called in as the replacement for Jacob Oram as it may be stretching it a bit to call McMillan an allrounder.

Having said that, I am pleased he gets another go as his recent record is good and there is no doubting his ability. His inclusion, however, could be seen as a slap in the face for the other allrounders, especially given Jeff Wilson's recent elevation.

Many saw Tama Canning as a more logical replacement, but I don't think he has the batting to replace Oram. Despite Canning's insistence that Wilson is not up to it at ODI level, he was respectful in delivering that opinion and at least had the grace to wish Wilson all the best.

I suspect it will come back to haunt him as Wilson is more than capable of proving he was the right selection. He always gives 100 per cent.

I'm sure if you looked around the dressingroom when things were not going well, Wilson would remain positive and as competitive as ever.

When you look at it, the selectors did not have too many options to consider.

While there have been some good performances in domestic cricket this season, there has not been too much consistency.

But it has produced some good cricket, none more so than the Auckland team who have won their first three State Championship matches outright.

Our domestic competitions are dependent on the weather and the itineraries. We always seemed to have to play Canterbury when they had their team chock full of New Zealand players. Now we are seeing Auckland, who do not have many playing internationally, cashing in.

Losing those games from the Sri Lankan tour has helped the profile of the State matches. So has the improved standard of pitches. The drop-in wickets are getting better and better and this is reflected in the standard.

It will be interesting to see what difference it will make with the New Zealand and World XI players being able to practise on the match wickets the day before the game.

It does two things.

It allows the players to take some of the freshness out of the strip and also brings the groundsman's preparation forward by a day. I'm sure the quality in this series will be better for it.

* Adam Parore is a former New Zealand wicketkeeper