ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP 2015

Pace jam: Who do New Zealand pick?

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With Milne, Boult, Southee, Mills and McClenaghan, New Zealand form their best pace attack in years
With Milne, Boult, Southee, Mills and McClenaghan, New Zealand form their best pace attack in years © Cricbuzz

New Zealand's batsmen, it appears in local circles, are what capture the fans' attention most. In a local newspaper, two young boys named Brendon McCullum as their favourite New Zealand cricketer. One of them was up to date with Kane Williamson's batting average over the past year. A group of high school boys knocking about in South Hagley Park are enthused by McCullum's six-hitting ability and reckon that Corey Anderson could take back the ODI hundred record that he lost to AB de Villiers last month. One of the night clerks at the Christchurch YMCA, though not a big cricket fan, knows that Anderson won an IPL contract because of his big hitting. A member of the staff at Hagley Oval believes Jesse Ryder should be a part of the World Cup squad.

What doesn't seem to have caught the minds of a few New Zealanders is how good their team's fast bowling unit is, or that it could be the deciding factor in what is being termed New Zealand's best shot at the World Cup.

Indeed, McCullum's squad includes possibly the best fast bowling pack of the tournament in Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Mitchell McClenaghan and Adam Milne. The tearaway Matt Henry is unlucky not to be part of the World Cup, with the selectors opting for the experience of Kyle Mills who, however, has not bowled much higher than 125kph of late. Had Henry made the cut, it would have been hands-down the meanest bowling quintet.

The presence of Shane Bond as bowling coach has undoubtedly played a key role in the success of New Zealand's fast bowling department. Under his tutelage, Boult and Southee have blossomed into a potent new-ball pair in Tests and ODIs. They look on course to become one of the country's best opening acts of all time. McClenaghan, the left-armer, has a good ODI record and strikes at a good rate (25.6). Milne is fast. Very fast. The most promising young fast bowler playing international cricket today. Word here is that Bond's relationship with this pack of bowlers is excellent, and that his consultative work methods have been wholly appreciated. It is hard to disagree, considering how well the fast men bowled in the UAE ODIs against Pakistan last year and then against Sri Lanka and Pakistan at home recently. Even Corey Anderson has sparked as a bowler, taking wickets - and big ones - in the last two home series.

For coach Mike Hesson, it could be a problem of plenty come game day, but chances are whatever combo of quicks gets chosen, they will do the job. With New Zealand likely to play just one spinner, that leaves three fast-bowling spots open with the allrounders Anderson and Elliott bowling their medium-pacers. Boult and Southee are starters, leaving Milne to compete with McClenaghan and Mills for one spot. Hesson and his co-thinkers could have worse problems to scratch their heads over.

"Everyone knows that there's a good amount of competition among us bowlers in the team," said Boult this week. "We have a good collection of experienced players, a great bowling unit. So the environment is really healthy and the guys are enjoying playing together. I'm sure that will continue over the next couple of weeks and we'll be able to stride forward from there."

On Wednesday at Hagley Oval, in their final World Cup warm-up, New Zealand did not bowl Milne. Boult and Southee started off, with Boult taking 5 for 51 in 9.2 overs. Southee bowled eight overs for 1 for 29. McClenghan had figures of 8-0-23-2. Mills bowled four wicketless overs for 21 runs. Grant Elliott's medium pace was preferred to Anderson's and he sent down five overs for 30 runs without success.

What can be read into this? Milne, 22, is young and quick and green. He played in five of New Zealand's nine ODIs at home last month, from which he managed eight wickets at a strike-rate of 32.2 and economy rate of 5.13. McClenaghan has played one more match across these series with Sri Lanka and Pakistan, taking 10 wickets at a strike-rate of 24.6 and economy of 5.51. Mills, 35, took three wickets from three games at a good economy rate of 4.16.

There is a high attached to raw fast bowlers - think a Brett Lee, Dale Steyn and Mitchell Johnson and, in a time before Lord's 2010, Mohammad Amir - and indeed it is being said that pace will win the World Cup. In Milne's case, his speed, the awkward lengths he can hit and the movement he can obtain will be an asset. This was evident against West Indies in early 2014 and against Pakistan later in the year. In the UAE ODIs, Milne didn't have a lot of wickets to show for but his economy (4.49) was the best of all New Zealand's fast bowlers. He hustled the Pakistan batsmen and even recently at home, had them hopping and fending at angles.

But like Southee and Boult, he is right-arm and for variety, New Zealand would do well to opt for the left-armer, McClenaghan, who is also a proven wicket-taker. Some here reckon that he will be effective with his slow cutters during the middle overs and that Bond and Hesson value that. New Zealand could be tempted to play four flat-out quicks, but doing so early on is risky because if any or all of them get carried away there could be a lot of runs to be chased on smaller grounds.

If they know their World Cup history, though, Hesson and his think-tank should back their strong point and go for the extra shot of pace. Most sides to win World Cups outside Asia have all had fine pace attacks - think West Indies of 1975 and 1979, Pakistan of 1992 and Australia of 1999, 2003 and 2007 - and they were littered with men capable of bowling at serious pace. Milne will surely have a role to play in the tournament, it's just a matter of when.

Here's hoping for a World Cup where pace has a say.

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