06/11/2008 12:37 PM
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori is hopeful the forthcoming two-Test series with Australia will continue the side's development in the Test arena.
New Zealand, largely due to a lack of consistent Test match play over the last two years, is in danger of slipping to one ahead of Bangladesh on the Test rankings if it doesn't start improving.
Vettori said the just-completed series in Bangladesh was probably not ideal in terms of quality and conditions for a tour of Australia but there had been some benefits.
New players, opener Aaron Redmond and No.3 batsman Jesse Ryder had batted for a long time in crucial parts of the Test matches and that was something you could never practice.
"So guys have got that good Test match experience and they'll be better for it than not having done anything at all," he said.
"Aaron Redmond was extremely pleasing.
"We've been looking for that style of opening batsman who's prepared to bat for a long time and support our strokemakers.
"And [medium pacer] Iain O'Brien, I thought, was outstanding in both Test matches so to see him starting to perform in conditions all around the world is exciting for us," he said.
Vettori did regret the loss of Jacob Oram to a lower-back injury.
"Jacob is a huge loss.
"In my opinion he's our best player, and our most important player, and if you take him out of the line-up it makes it hard for Braces and myself to select a side," he said.
Not only did it affect the balance of the side but it also took some quality from the team.
"It's a tough ask to replace him but hopefully by the time the West Indies come around he'll be fit and rearing to go."
Vettori is hoping that his move up the order to replace Oram will continue to set the example, a feature already of his captaincy style.
He felt his side's best chance to make an impact on the series would be in Brisbane, notorious for having something in the pitch early in the match.
"Brisbane is our chance first up on a deck that maybe has a little bit in it and seeing how our seam bowlers go on it will be a big challenge for us. They're good enough so hopefully they can do it.
"I still look at the Australian team as the No.1 side in the world, particularly in their own conditions.
"They are going to come back [from India] pretty strong.
"They've got an exceptional batting line-up, I think Australian teams always tend to produce great batting lineups.
"Where they have struggled a little is the lack of a quality spinner and in a place like India you always get found out with that and in Australia you may not need it as much but I still see them as the toughest ask in world cricket," he said.