Several members of the England party in New Zealand need to make an early impact, and a resounding one, if the last two months of the tour are not to be a prolonged test of their patience. For the team itself the last thing needed is a repeat of the dreadful start in Harare six weeks ago.
Shrewdly confronted by as strong a team as possible in their first completed match, they were beaten easily, by five wickets, thus denting their own confidence and invaluably boosting that of their opponents. The partially legitimate excuse of a long layoff will not wash now.
For some, quickness off the mark is more than just desirable: it is essential. Barring injury to others or a very exceptional performance before the first Test starts a fortnight today, Jack Russell, Andrew Caddick, Ronnie Irani, Craig White and Chris Silverwood are likely to spend most of their time in the dressing-room until the main business of the tour is done.
After scores of 0, 2, 7, 4, 55, 28, 16, 4, 13, 1, 23, 25 and 18 in Zimbabwe, Mike Atherton also knew what was needed as he prepared to open the batting today against the New Zealand Academy XI. Assuming the cyclone which was expected to hit the north of North Island last night permitted play at Pukekura Park, nothing could have been better calculated to lift the morale of his men than an authoritative innings.
David Houghton has been given the praise for planning to hit England with a strong side from the outset in Zimbabwe and he has claimed the credit, too, for the attempt to immobilise Atherton by disciplined, good-length bowling, keeping him on the front foot and starving him of his favourite off-side strokes off the back. (I hope, incidentally, that England are planning exactly similar tactics against New Zealand's best batsman, Stephen Fleming).
Restored form and confidence or not, Atherton will play in the Tests, but Russell, the little warrior who helped him save the Johannesburg Test last winter (29 in four hours and 40 minutes) and the Lord's Test against India last season (124) is apparently going to have to go on suffering so long as Alec Stewart continues to keep wicket as well as he has.
Since Stewart resumed as wicketkeeper at the Oval last August, his Test scores have been 44 and 54 as an opener against Pakistan and 48, 73 and 101 not out at No 3 against Zimbabwe. You may look at his position vis-a-vis Russell in one of two ways, reflecting either intelligent flexibility on the part of the England selectors or chronic indecision.
Well as Stewart has performed in these last three Tests, England have not won any of them and though one would not have backed Russell for many runs against Wasim and Waqar at the Oval, it is an absolute certainty that he would have made more at No 7 on Zimbabwe's slow pitches than the three men who went in there in his stead. Croft, Gough and White managed 14 runs in three innings. Russell's performances on tour for England have been consistently useful, but barring something astonishing in the next fortnight it looks increasingly possible that he may never win his 50th Test cap. At least he has his art to console him.
Not so the others. It will take something very exceptional indeed from Irani to dissuade the notion that his only remaining job on the tour is as a specialist for the one-day internationals. That billing already seems certain to be shared by White, who was allowed to resume a holiday with his family in Australia after being picked in Silverwood's place for the second Test in Harare. This was the cause, apparently, of Ian Botham's indignation.
Dominic Cork for White is perhaps the most likely change to the eleven who saw their theoretical prospects of a win washed out on the last day of that Harare match.
Caddick, whose parents have travelled from Christchurch to see him make his big effort for a Test place here and at Palmerston North in the four-day game which starts on Monday, is the bowler with the best chance of altering preconceived plans. He started the tour with a virus and, by all accounts, no zest, but three wickets at 50 in the two Tests in Zimbabwe have left Alan Mullally with something to prove too.