Flying under the radar of the Blackcaps squad dumping last week was BJ Watling sneaking into the Blackcaps ODI squad for their series against Pakistan in United Arab Emirates. I've offered my thoughts on Ajaz Patel's inclusion into the Test squad and then the Aotearoa 'A' squad that will also head over to UAE, now it's time for the 50-over gang and in a fairly settled group it's all about BJ.

Keep in mind that two more players from the A squad and/or the T20 squad will be added to the ODI squad. 13 players were named in the ODI squad, more than enough for an ODI series, so one would imagine that the two extra players will be more of the fringey-squad type of players, instead of guys who slide straight from A/T20 squads into the ODI 1st 11.

No Mitchell Santner either, he's out injured for the whole tour. That could open the door for a tweaker to support Todd Astle and Ish Sodhi, Ajaz Patel's the obvious candidate while Mark Chapman and George Worker are good enough batsmen to win selection and offer some level of spin bowling cover.

But, BJ.

BJ Watling's outstanding innings Sri Lanka

Watling's ODI selection was a bit of a shock considering that he played his last ODI in December 2016 and his last wave of ODI cricket came from no where - kinda like what is happening now. In January 2013, Watling played three ODIs against South Africa in South Africa and then three ODIs against England in Aotearoa. He didn't pass 50 in any of those six games; 45, 12, 20, 2, 7, 1.

Creeping back into the ODI team during a series in India, in October 2016, Watling played two ODIs with scores of 14 and 0. That was good enough to keep Watling in the team for the Chappell-Hadlee series in Australia, late 2016 and Watling, like the rest of the Blackcaps, wasn't very good; 6, 17, 8.

Watling's last ODI half-century was in November 2012 and in his last 10 ODI innings, Watling hasn't scored over 20 runs in an innings. Heck, Watling's scored less than 10 runs in six of those innings. And yet here he is, big, bad BJ back in the coloured clothing squad.

Last summer was solid-ish for Watling. He wasn't flash in the Plunket Shield, averaging 26.88 and Tom Blundell was the only wicket-keeper batsman who was worst than Watling in the four-day format. Watling's Northern Districts comrade Tim Seifert, also a wicket-keeper, averaged 50.21, just for a comparison.

Watling was however decent in Ford Trophy; 7th in runs, 38avg/78.35sr. Glenn Phillips was the only wicket-keeper with more runs than Watling, but he played two more games than Watling and wasn't Auckland's wicket-keeper for all those games. The step up to Test cricket is also interesting here given Watling's Plunket Shield campaign and a limited supply of Tests last summer, even fewer for Watling as his Test summer was cut in half by injury.

Missing the West Indies series to start the summer, Watling played two Tests vs England with scores of 31, 85 and 19. Again, solid, decent - pretty much the status-quo for Watling.

Exploring Watling's credentials for an ODI call up doesn't feel that beneficial though. You can pick at different aspects of his stats to make a case why or why not, overlooking the general vibe of Watling's selection. I interpret this as a direct line of planning towards the World Cup next year and as I was rather vocal in highlighting the severe lack of planning for the Champions Trophy, Watling's presence is a nice selection.

Tom Latham is currently the ODI wicky and should still be with Watling in the squad. I've still got a few queries around the Latham/Henry Nicholls middle order and this will sort itself over the next 12 months, either way. The selection of Watling offers cover to for Latham and this is simply a case of going down the settled, experienced route or ushering in a young wicket-keeper to cover Latham; Tim Seifert is the best option.

Planning for the World Cup with Watling means that if there needs to be a wicket-keeping change - Latham stops scoring runs - Watling is a experienced, versatile cricketer who can slot in at any stage. Blooding a youngster into the cauldron of ODI cricket, months out from a World Cup would be rough and typical of the planning, or lack of planning that has plagued the Blackcaps recently. Watling's the back up, good enough to keep Latham honest and if a change needs to be made, Watling will love the opportunity ... as long as he's not asked to be a lower order hitter again.

If another wicket-keeper is one of the two players promoted to the ODI squad, then we might have a problem. Seifert, Tom Blundell or Glenn Phillips could come in and make that ODI wicket-keeper equation far more complicated. Be prepared.

July has been a big month for Watling, considering he is also on this panel to pick the new Blackcaps coach. Umm, not your standard move for a current player and when we combine Watling's rapid, unexpected rise into the ODI squad along with Watling being promoted to the coach selection panel, this is weird. This isn't just about Watling getting back into the ODI squad, or just a veteran Test player help chose the new coach; the fact that both have happened at the same time is weird.

You can smell the fishy stench through your phone or laptop.

The rare sight of BJ Watling having a bowl, in the SKYCITY Northern Knights' March 2016 round nine Plunket Shield match v Canterbury at Hagley Oval.

I reckon this is more of a coincidence though and in isolation, both selections make sense. I've explained Watling's ODI selection above and to have a player who has been in the Blackcaps for a long time, rolled through the B-Mac era and then the years that followed under Mike Hesson, Watling offers a unique perspective. Watling won't be making the final decision, he's only there to help those who aren't in the Blackcaps group, see who or what is best for the Blackcaps group right now.

Smart; having Watling in the ODI squad as cover for Latham and having an experienced, respected Blackcap on the selection panel for a new coach is smart. I like smart, logical moves and this is refreshing. It's easy to see how this situation could be viewed with a cynical perspective and youz know I keep it real about such shenanigans.

Neither the selection of Watling in the ODI squad or coach selection panel needed to be made. But they were and it just so happens that they were made at a similar time. This is not only a huge boost for Watling, who is otherwise just a Test cricketer for a country that barely plays Test cricket, it's a boost for a Blackcaps program that has lacked smart, logical moves.

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Peace and love 27.