KEY POINTS:
ANTIGUA - New Zealand look poised to walk a path less complicated when they name their combination for tomorrow's all-important World Cup showdown against the West Indies.
Without the injured Ross Taylor and Lou Vincent for the start of the Super Eights campaign, the Group C winners are faced with choosing between a wholesale reshuffle of their batting order, or making the minimal necessary changes.
But, with the pitch surfaces in the West Indies demanding caution from the batsmen and usually favouring the bowlers in the opening 10 overs, it would be a surprise if coach John Bracewell pumped for anything overly elaborate.
One of four teams through to the second round with two points, New Zealand play easy-beats Bangladesh and Ireland during their six Super Eight outings, and can almost seal their semifinals placing if they post a win against the Windies.
Bracewell seems likely to opt for a conservative approach; opening with Stephen Fleming and Peter Fulton, and bringing back Hamish Marshall as a No 3 - if only to allow normal service to resume down the order.
That would enable established players such as Scott Styris, Jacob Oram, Craig McMillan and Brendon McCullum to stick with their familiar roles through the middle and later stages of the innings.
Among the theories doing the rounds was the idea of promoting McCullum to take over Vincent's hard-hitting role, either batting Marshall at No 7 or not at all, and allowing Daniel Vettori and James Franklin to compensate with the bat.
But the importance of tomorrow's result will almost certainly preclude such risk-taking.
Fulton is certainly no Vincent at the top of the order, but he carries a solidity in his game that could be well-suited to the Sir Vivian Richards Oval, and continues to surprise followers with his willingness to attack.
Likewise, so is Marshall - who yesterday completed a journey that took him through the airports of Los Angeles, Baltimore and San Juan - a step or two down on Taylor in terms of explosiveness and strike-rate, although he doesn't sacrifice anything in terms of fielding and catching, or running between the wickets.
The good news for New Zealand is that Taylor's hamstring strain is responding to treatment and that management are keen to get him on to the park as soon as possible after the West Indian game.
The other good news is that New Zealand paceman Mark Gillespie is taking a full part in practice after shaking off the effects of a virus that played havoc with a shoulder, and ruled him out of the first three games.
It had been suggested that, if Gillespie couldn't demonstrate a near-full return to fitness before the West Indies game, he was likely to join Daryl Tuffey and Vincent on the homeward journey.
Tuffey, something of a surprise selection, has already been replaced by Auckland spearhead Martin, who seems unlikely to be considered for tomorrow's game.
The word is that New Zealand are willing to throw Marshall into the fray immediately, but would prefer to leave Martin until the Bangladesh and Ireland games - apparently because they believe replacement bowlers take longer to acclimatise than batsmen.
For all that, Martin's reputation for dismissing left-handers must keep Bracewell's mind open, given the West Indian side contains several cack-handers at the top of the order, including the imperious Brian Lara.
It was raining in Antigua yesterday, stalling New Zealand's practice build-up, and causing the much-anticipated Super Eights contest between Australia and the West Indies to be extended over two days.
The washout could pay a dividend for New Zealand, in that the West Indies will effectively be playing on three consecutive days and will not have the same time or energy to put into their pre-game analysis.
* NZ v West Indies
Antigua, 1.15am tomorrow
- Richard Boock was assisted to the West Indies by New Zealand Cricket
