Cricket: The big turnaround: how NZ did it

Neil Wagner's seam skills have provided a key piece in the resurgence of the bowling department, helping restore New Zealand respectability. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Mix of factors explains Black Caps' chalk and cheese change from habitual losers to winners

May 28, 2013 - New Zealand are beaten by 247 runs by England at Leeds to complete a depressing 2-0 series defeat.

February 18, 2014 - New Zealand draw their final test of the summer with India to put a full stop on a remarkable resurgence as a test nation.

Throw in a 4-0 ODI thumping and maintaining their place as one of the more capable T20 outfits - with the world tournament in that form less than a month away - and it's worth raising the point: How did they complete such a sizeable turnaround?

Leave the short forms aside for a moment. There were several elements thrown into the test puzzle which paid a dividend. Now New Zealand can approach the coming test year - three in the Caribbean in May, a couple late in the year in the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan's de facto cricket home, and two against Sri Lanka at home shortly before the World Cup - with real confidence and optimism.

There's a bucket of ODI activity leading up to the World Cup, so call this a year of solidifying renewed hard-won respect.

1. Settling on personnel

From the team rolled for 45 in Cape Town last January, only four are still around - captain Brendon McCullum, Kane Williamson, wicketkeeper BJ Watling and new ball man Trent Boult. To be fair, Tim Southee and Ross Taylor missed the tour for different reasons. Gone are Martin Guptill, Dean Brownlie, Daniel Flynn, James Franklin, Doug Bracewell, Jeetan Patel and Chris Martin.

Others tried and discarded during the year were batsman Colin Munro and left arm spinner Bruce Martin.

Those brought in include openers Hamish Rutherford and Peter Fulton, legspinner Ish Sodhi, and allrounders Corey Anderson and Jimmy Neesham.

Coach Mike Hesson, as head selector, clearly decided on players he wanted, and those he felt weren't up to it. Since the start of England's visit early last year, he's been pretty consistent - and in a couple of cases faithful when others might have sharpened the axe.

Anderson emerged on the October trip to Bangladesh, with a maiden century; Sodhi was a bright newcomer, albeit with much to learn. But two drawn tests, not to mention three straight ODI defeats, were embarrassing. Caught short right at the start of the season without any preparation to speak of, it may not have been altogether surprising.

But by the time the West Indies arrived, pegs were in the right holes, they were back in their own conditions, and things were about to change.

2. Getting the first innings sorted

There was no getting away from the fact that if New Zealand couldn't make a competitive opening total, things weren't going to progress far.

From the first innings in Chittagong, New Zealand's totals have been 469, 437, 609 for nine, 441, 349, 503 and 192, sent in on a seam bowling delight but followed by a heroic, highest total of 680 for eight to follow at the Basin Reserve this week.

Which neatly leads on to ...

3. Middle order muscle

Has New Zealand ever had batsmen at three, four and five who have been so consistently strong and productive in a summer as Kane Williamson, Taylor and McCullum?

As a three and four partnership, Williamson and Taylor were outstanding. Taylor made hundreds in all three West Indian tests, and a couple in the Indian ODIs.

Among the more obvious spinoffs of their form was the feeling it engendered among the players.

Instead of mentally preparing to reach for the pads, players could sit back confident the players entrusted with making the runs would do so, in spades. A big mindshift.

4. Seam success

Neil Wagner provided the final piece in the seam bowling department. A good foil for Southee and Boult, he provided the grunt, alongside the hostility and guile of Southee and the swing skills of Boult. They enjoyed each other's success. Southee and Boult now sit in the world's top 10 bowlers and NZ can rightly boast having one of the better new ball combinations in the test game.

5. Confidence

Or self-belief, if you like. Having become used to beatings, or - on the occasions a test win seemed just around the corner - a failure to finish the job, New Zealand needed to feel good about what they were doing. They talked an upbeat game. Crossing that line at Wellington against the West Indies, in their innings victory in December, was crucially important.

It broke the back of a 10-match run without a win under McCullum. Suddenly they discovered how to ram home an advantage.

6. Hanging tough

Best epitomised on the final day of the test win over India at Eden Park.

They appeared to have blown an iron grip on the match when they were dismissed for 105 in their second innings and with McCullum having chosen to bat again rather than enforce the follow on. Step forward Neil Wagner, whose lung-busting, unbroken 10-over spell on a hot afternoon kept New Zealand's spirits afloat as India's batsmen seemed set to make light work of a 407 target. The 40-run win had spirits soaring.

There were other examples of heart and soul. McCullum's triple century - in tandem with Watling's hundred at the Basin last week - to save a hopeless position is a prime example, as well as being a monumental physical and mental display.

The ODI victories show that side of the national team is in good heart, while they'll approach the T20 world cup with a belief they have as big a chance as anyone.

What a welcome difference from early last year.