Anyway, we're all pretty frustrated with the team selection at the moment. Let's just imagine for a moment that the new NZC management calls for a review of NZ's performance this series, and on the back of that decides to buy out Stead's contract and go in a completely different direction. Who do you want to see as coach and who do you want to see in the XI for next summer.
The coach I'll admit is hard. There's no obvious candidates. Someone like Fleming would never give up their cozy IPL gig for such an intensive and poorly paid role. Heinrich Malan is available starting next year, maybe NZ could agree to another ODI tour to Ireland in exchange for them releasing him from his contract after the IPL world cup... For bowling coach Bond would be ideal, but I have my doubts about whether he'd come back. Iain O'Brien I think would also make a great bowling coach, he worked wonders with Nathan Smith during his brief stint with Wellington and always seemed to have a great bowling brain - if his missus would let him. Fielding coach - literally anyone, as when I look at the NZ Black Caps wiki page, it currently shows a blank.
Ideal team: Latham (sigh, I guess he earnt it on Saturday), Conway, KW, Rachin, Mitchell, Phillips, Blundell (good record v England and no great alternatives), Santner, Smith, Henry, KJ (if fit, probably O'Rourke first choice, then Sears then Fisher - man, it's so frustrating that we're playing Southee and SP, when even with KJ, O'Rourke and now seemingly Smith out injured I reckon we could still field a much better bowling attack than the one that took the field in this test. Like even with an all-seam attack, if we play Duffy, Henry, Sears, Fisher and I reckon NZ probably gets the job done in this game). Looking to the longer term, start investing in real A tours and give guys like Heaphy, Mariu, Severin, Abbas and Chu every chance to develop their games, because **** me are we gonna need them to come good in about 3 years time.