Phew! Brendan McCullum must have wondered where New Zealand's next Test victory was coming from. He needn't have worried. His side did everything but win the first game against the West Indies and they made no mistake at Wellington. They scored over 400 on what looked a difficult green wicket then the seamers ran through the Caribbean card twice in just over 100 overs.
Darren Sammy's men can boast all they like about winning the T20 World Cup but that means zilch in real cricket where batsmen must preserve their wicket and accumulate runs instead of looking for flashy boundaries every over. God knows what they'll do when Shivnarine Chandepaul calls it a day. At least Darren Bravo has reminded us this month what he can do but the future looks bleak if even the Black Caps can destroy them so comprehensively.
Credit where credit's due. Ross Taylor looks in great nick after his spell on the sidelines and Trent Boult led the attack with pace and skill. His ten-wicket haul is only the twentieth by a New Zealander in their Test history, the second by a left-arm seamer and their first at home since Chris Martin went one better in 2004 against South Africa. At only 24, he could have a great future, although that has been said of many a NZ quick, only for injury or a calamitous brush with a top-ranked batting line-up to force a reality check.
He made his debut two years ago in that famous agonising seven-run triumph in Hobart. That day, Australia collapsed from 159-2 to 233 all out, with David Warner carrying his bat while around him fell victim to Southee and Bracewell in particular. Until the past few weeks I wonder if Michael Clarke had really got over that stunning defeat to their supposedly weaker neighbours.
With a fairly youthful seam attack gaining experience and consistency and some solidity from Fulton, Rutherford, Williamson, Taylor and McCullum, perhaps New Zealand can work their way up their rankings, although their lean Test schedule probably mitigates against such progress. They didn't disgrace themselves in England earlier this year and they will always stand a chance under the long white cloud. It will make a pleasant change not to call them one-day cricket wonders, although the great days of the Crowe-Hadlee era may be too much to emulate. Whipping the Windies at Hamilton will certainly provide a promising platform for 2014.
