New Zealand are pinning thier hopes on their fast bowlers for the opening Test against Australia in Brisban starting November 20, 2008.

Jacob Oram has been ruled out of New Zealand's tour of Australia with a stiff back. Oram missed the second Test in Bangladesh last month after injuring his back and, though an MRI scan this week revealed the injury was not serious, chose to play it safe and skip the two-Test series starting November 20

Squad: Daniel Vettori (c), Aaron Redmond, Jamie How, Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor, Peter Fulton, Daniel Flynn, Brendon McCullum (wk), Grant Elliott, Gareth Hopkins (wk), Tim Southee, Kyle Mills, Iain O'Brien, Mark Gillespie, Chris Martin.