WELLINGTON, NZ - New Zealand should be at full strength for the first time in 23 months when they confront Australia in the first cricket Test at the Gabba in Brisbane starting on November 8.

There was a hint of a smile on coach Denis Aberhart's face as promising fitness reports continue to filter through on the big three - Chris Cairns, Dion Nash and Daniel Vettori.

The trio last played together in the 1999 Boxing Day test against the West Indies at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, incidentally a win to the Black Caps by an innings and 106 runs.

"Hopefully we have all of them back, that is what we are aiming at," Aberhart said after Wellington based members of the Black Caps and Central Districts' Glen Sulzberger trained at the Stadium yesterday.

"The news is encouraging on them and once they are in, it becomes a matter of managing them and keeping them in there."

Should the trio grace the Gabba it could be a heart-in-mouth scenario. All could have restrictions hanging over them making life less than ideal for captain Stephen Fleming.

Cairns appears the most vulnerable because of the tight deadline he is operating under after knee surgery. A more realistic target would seem the second test a fortnight later in Hobart.

"He is on a program planned to have him ready for November 8 (Gabba)," Aberhart said.

"He's bowling and it is a matter of increasing his workload gradually - we don't want him coming back too soon, there is too much cricket ahead of him.

"We certainly won't play him till he's ready, he's too important and the season's too long."

Nash has simply advised the selectors his back is ready for the next step after appearing in the one-day tri-series in Sri Lanka in July. His last test was against Zimbabwe in Harare 12 months ago when he got through 14 overs in each innings, but his pace was down on previous years and his pain evident.

Vettori's last test was also 12 months ago in Zimbabwe, the first in Bulawayo. Aberhart said his troublesome back was shaping well but at the same time he felt missing the aborted tour to Pakistan wouldn't do the left-arm spinner any harm.

In an ideal world Vettori would shoulder the bulk of the workload when the Australians set about racking up those huge totals.

Aberhart wasn't ready to concede that Vettori wouldn't be operating under a restriction in the three-test series.

"In tests you need all hands on deck, once he comes back he'll be ready to take a full part," Aberhart said.

© 2001 AAP