Between Lockie Ferguson, Ben Sears, and Will O' Rourke, New Zealand's mens's side have their high-pace, high-bounce options covered. These are the kinds of bowlers that tend to find ways to trouble batters on any surface you roll out for them.
But what if, in Pakistan and Dubai, through the course of the Champions Trophy, it is spin that makes the difference? We've seen how tournaments in Asia tend to play out. Through the course of a packed schedule, the squares wear substantially, and by the end you're playing on tired decks, the average scores nosediving by the business end.
New Zealand will play in Karachi in the tournament opener, have a game in Rawalpindi, and their final group match in Dubai. They've got to be ready for whatever comes, though they will also have the additional preparation of a short-and-sharp tri-series in Pakistan in the lead-up to the big event. So, they've packed their squad with players who offer serious versatility.
The three main spin options in the side are captain Mitchell Santner, who has developed into an excellent bowler over the past decade, plus Michael Bracewell, and Glenn Phillips. There is also Rachin Ravindra, who bowled almost 66 overs through the course of the 2023 World Cup, in India. The headline news is that all four of these players can bat (with Ravindra and Phillips, that is very much their foremost skill). In fact, if the pitch shows signs of taking turn, they could all play in the same XI.
"If there is a little bit of turn, we can have Bracewell bat at No. 7, and I can go at No. 8," Santner said. "We have options, which is great for our squad. We've got raw pace, we've got the spin, and the allrounders as well."
Although all four are fingerspinners (Ish Sodhi has not been picked), there are two left-armers and two offbreak bowlers. New Zealand fielded all four in the third ODI against Sri Lanka, on Saturday. Though they were beaten by 140 runs in that match, thanks largely to the top order having crashed to 21 for 5, their spinners had been excellent. Sri Lanka had been 155 for 1 after the 27th over, before New Zealand's spinners imposed themselves on the match, and prompted something of a middle-overs collapse from Sri Lanka.
Santner took two wickets through this period and Bracewell had also struck. Phillips had snuck in three cheap overs, conceding just 12 in this three overs. Santner compared his two offspin options.
"They're both very good offspinners in their own right. They're both different, I think. On a wicket like that, Bracewell can get a bit more bounce - a little more over the top. Even the three overs that GP bowled were good for us, and Glenn has worked a lot on his bowling, as we've seen, in the longer format."
New Zealand's general strategy for global tournaments has been to stack their side with players who are capable of making vital contributions at some point through the course of the campaign, and they appear to be following this template again. All four of these spin bowlers are outstanding fielders - Phillips worthy of being recognised as one of the best in the world at the moment.
There is also the sense that by packing their XI with all-round talents, they have players to call on, whatever the match situation they are posed with. Two finals appearances and a semi-final berth in the last three ODI World Cups suggest that versatility has worked for them.
"We like to stick to the same team once we've picked it, but that's conditions-dependent," Santner said. "Karachi could play a lot different to Rawalpindi, which could play different to Dubai. With the short nature of the tournament, if you're happy with your XI, you want them to perform for all three games. But we're open to changes."