Former Pakistani cricketer and current United Arab Emirates (UAE) coach Aaqib Javed is reportedly impressed with the potential of the New Zealand ODI squad.
Javed is in New Zealand as coach of the UAE side for the World Cup qualifying tournament, where 10 teams are vying for the last two spots in next year's World Cup proper.
According to Stuff.co.nz, the former fast bowler, who has previously been the bowling coach of the Pakistan national team, said that the ODI squad boasted several explosive batsmen in Brendon McCullum, Corey Anderson and Jesse Ryder, who could take the game away from the opposition with the bat.
Javed is also impressed by young fast bowler Adam Milne, who debuted in Pakistan four years ago, and added that the New Zealand side had a similar look to their 1992 counterparts and suggested they could be a contender at home if they got on a winning run.
However, Javed cautioned New Zealand, and other teams, against experimenting too much, a year out from the World Cup, and insisted on consistency, saying that this is the peak time for New Zealand to pick their best 18 players and stick with them and back them.