NZ challenge to prove World Cup was not their peak

During one of the intervals of the Lord's Test last month, there was a captaincy debate aired on Sky Sports between Shane Warne, Ian Smith and Michael Atherton. The conversation, naturally, included much reference to Brendon McCullum and at one point Smith became particularly impassioned, jabbing his finger in the air. The gist of his point, without wanting to misquote, was that McCullum would be remembered as a great captain because he had reinvented, and therefore helped revive, the 50-over format.

There can be no doubting the legacy he and his team left during the World Cup, even though they were out-gunned by the equally aggressive Australians at the MCG. Packed slips cordons, the endless push for wickets, almost a refusal to look away from the strike-bowlers and an unbridled aggression with the bat led by McCullum (although that bubble was pricked by Mitchell Starc's opening over at the MCG when McCullum's duck led to a more inhibited display) ensured there was rarely a dull moment.

Ricky Ponting could rightly argue that his Australian team that won the 2003 and 2007 World Cups played that style of cricket, but they were an established as a cricket powerhouse. With McCullum, and New Zealand, there remains - with no disrespect meant - the feel-good story of the little guys who (so nearly) ruled the world.

The bounce that New Zealand were given by that tournament - and also the lead-up during which they forged the identity that has now become their trademark - was continued last week at Headingley when they showed their character in recovering from what could have been a debilitating loss at Lord's.

Shortly after victory at Headingley the news emerged that New Zealand Cricket were in discussions - which are likely to come to fruition - to remove one the scheduled three Tests they were due to host against Australia next February and replace it with a three-match Chappell-Hadlee one-day series. In a breath, there is the conundrum facing them: on one hand they have built arguably their greatest Test team that should be given as many opportunities as possible, yet on the other the 50-over format, which captured a nation earlier this year, remains their lifeblood.

Two-and-a-half months on from the moment Grant Elliott wrote himself a place in New Zealand sporting history, with the six over long-on against Dale Steyn to win that extraordinary semi-final at Eden Park, they return to white-ball cricket for the five-match series against England.

There are three enforced absentees from the World Cup squad. Daniel Vettori, a significant loss to the one-day side, has retired along with Kyle Mills, while Adam Milne, the fast bowler with a brittle body, has again been struck by injury. A full-strength XI would include just one change from the tournament, with a spinner needed to replace Vettori, although there is likely to be some rotation among the pace bowlers.

Vettori has left big shoes to fill. He enjoyed a wonderful swansong, taking 15 wickets in the World Cup with an economy rate of 4.04, and pushed himself to breaking point to limp through the final. Who can forget the hang time on that catch at third man against West Indies? In the hierarchy, his place would go to Nathan McCullum, the offspinning allrounder, who has always proved a capable understudy - or partner - for Vettori. But at 34 he is not one for the future.

Mitchell Santner, a left-handed batsman and left-arm spinner, is one of two uncapped players in the squad and may yet push McCullum. Not much should be written into his spell against a weakened Leicestershire team, but he did find purchase off a pitch not known for spin. "It's nice to have a left-arm spinner who turns it," is the tongue-in-cheek talk from the New Zealand camp. But currently Santner is viewed as a batsman who bowls and made 94 batting at No. 3 in New Zealand's first-class warm-up for the Test series at Taunton.

Elsewhere there will be plenty of familiarity about the New Zealand line-up. When Corey Anderson is fit, the top order will replicate that of the World Cup; the outright aggression of Brendon McCullum merged with accumulation of Kane Williamson and Elliott, then the later punch that Luke Ronchi, despite a lean World Cup, can provide. It will be interesting to see how they play should the ball nip around under lights or on a cloudy English day, but given they batted at a one-day tempo in the Headingley Test they are unlikely to move away from their script. But Williamson becomes key as an anchor.

New Zealand have every right to start this series as considerable favourites, and not just because they reached the World Cup final and demolished England in Wellington on their way as Tim Southee dismantled them with 7 for 33. They have a commendable record on English soil: since the turn of the millennium they have won a triangular series in 2004, and the bilateral series in both 2008, which involved angry scenes at The Oval involving Elliott's run out, and 2013. That latter series included Martin Guptill's unbeaten 189 at the Ageas Bowl, which was New Zealand's highest individual ODI score until Guptill broke his own record, with 237 not out, in the World Cup quarter-final against West Indies.

But England did come out on top in the Champions Trophy fixture in Cardiff in the last 50-over meeting on home soil but the most recent clash, on February 20 at the Cake Tin, saw them thrashed in a match that lasted just 45 overs as McCullum slammed 77 off 25 balls to follow Southee's haul. At 33, McCullum is highly unlikely be around for the next World Cup. The 2017 Champions Trophy in England is a potential finale for him if the body can last two more years, with perhaps Test cricket being shelved first.

For McCullum and New Zealand, the challenge to prove that those heady seven weeks at home do not come to be viewed as the peak of a very fine team starts now.