New Zealand's cricketers have warmed up for their Test tour of Australia with a series of encouraging performances at domestic level, led by their likely seam attack for the first Test.
Probable new ball pair Tim Southee and Trent Boult both took five-wicket bags for Northern Districts in their Plunket Shield game against Wellington that finished on Sunday.
The pair were rested from the tour of Africa in August but unleashed some promising spells in the drawn game at Seddon Park, less than three weeks out from the first Test at the Gabba in Brisbane.
Southee took 5-56 in the first innings and Boult claimed 5-97 in the second, with both snaring six scalps in total.
Central Districts seamer Doug Bracewell repeated the dose in their drawn game against Otago in Napier, bagging 5-67 in the first innings.
Otago offspinner Mark Craig wasn't as effective in the same game, taking 2-164, but he got 39 valuable overs under his belt during Central Districts' only innings.
There was also some promising form shown by the batsmen.
Otago allrounder James Neesham struck 131 for Otago while back-up wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi (115) was also a centurion for Wellington.
Northern Districts pair Kane Williamson (65) and BJ Watling (89) both impressed in their only innings, as did Ross Taylor (48) for Central Districts while opener Hamish Rutherford raced to 79 for Otago.
Auckland's only Black Cap, opener Martin Guptill, breezed to an unbeaten 84 on the final day as they beat Canterbury by nine wickets.
The only squad member who didn't play last week was captain Brendon McCullum, who was in London giving evidence in the Chris Cairns perjury trial.
They leave on Tuesday for a six-week tour which opens with a one-day match against a Prime Minister's XI in Canberra on Friday.
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