Are the Black Caps on the cusp of a golden era?
Craig Cumming: With the way they are playing and the consistency with which they are playing, you'd have to say they are going through or starting a period that is very, very good.
We've probably got three or four world-class players in our starting XI and we're probably used to having one.
So you look at that and say we are certainly very strong. And the guys on the next tier are also very good.
Warren Lees: I think we are. It is the most settled the team has been - and I'm not talking selection.
It is a happy team and they have discipline in the team that they haven't possibly had before.
Is our bowling depth as fantastic as many believe?
CC: It is probably the area which gives everyone the most excitement.
To win test cricket, you've got to be able to take 20 wickets and we've probably got a nucleus of about six [seamers] who on any day could play test cricket.
The next part of that is can we get spinners who can perform on the world stage. If we can get Mark Craig and Ish Sodhi up to speed and consistent all the time, that is the last piece of our bowling puzzle.
WL: I'd be wary of pushing the Henrys and Milnes at the World Cup because every game will be against teams which have two or three world-class players and they could panic a wee bit.
We have got good depth but if we pick the young players, then all of a sudden we are giving away experience.
I'm not saying hold on to [Kyle] Mills but you've got to hold on to the experience you've got when it comes to the big occasion.
CC: If you look at the two parts, our batting is not as strong as our bowling, but any time you have [Ross] Taylor and [Kane] Williamson in your side - and they are going to be around for the next five or six years - there is certainly something to build on.
The one question mark is the opening. If we want to become a genuine world-class side then we need to fill that.
But I still believe there is enough [talent] around and some good players that will be able to step up. But when you are only looking to fill one or two spots that is pretty good.
You will struggle to see around the world any team who has the complete XI.
WL: We are unsure about our openers but there is not a team in the world that is absolutely sure about their openers.
With Williamson, Taylor and McCullum at three, four and five, well, you possibly wouldn't beat that in the world. But if Brendon, for the team's sake, goes and opens, then that weakens that area.
Are Jimmy Neesham and Corey Anderson the next Chris Cairns or are we still searching for that X-factor player?
CC: I think Corey Anderson and Jimmy Neesham are going to fight it out for many years.
You have to remember they have been in conditions which don't suit them bowling-wise in the West Indies and also the UAE.
They are still learning but the reality is we have two players who potentially can become world-class. We are not trying to find one, we just have to pick which one is in form.
WL: I think they are going to be two key players. They will be very competitive with each other if there is only one playing.
That might bring the best out of them and then you could pick both of them.
How do you rate the Black Caps' World Cup prospects?
CC: I'm excited by them. When you look at the squad, it is going to be a tough team to pick and they've got the ability to pick players that will suit the grounds we play on.
The bowling attack is never set - they pick the best bowler for the surface they are about to play on. We've got an exceptionally strong middle order.
We should be disappointed if we are not in the finals just because of the quality of cricket they can play and the quality of players they have.
WL: I think we do have a great opportunity but we are a little bit inconsistent.
But that maybe because we have been missing some leading players in some of these games and it upsets the balance a wee bit.
