Daniel Vettori praised New Zealand all-rounder Scott Styris, whose 87 not out helped them beat England at Lord's and wrap up a 3-1 series victory.
"It was a pretty tricky wicket early on," the Black Caps skipper said.
"But our openers got us off to a decent start and so our middle order weren't in until the time they could prosper.
"The way Scott held that innings together and then flourished in the final five overs is almost a model of how to play one-day cricket."
Vettori was also pleased with his own performance, taking 3-32 from his 10 overs to put a mid-innings stranglehold on England.
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He added: "I haven't quite got the wickets in this series that I would have liked to, but to take over in those middle stages really led the team, and I suppose everyone followed, particularly the young guys like Tim Southee.
"We've got a group of guys, some of whom have played fewer than 10 one-day internationals, so when you get performances from them, you get quite excited.
"Coupled with guys like Brendon McCullum, Jacob Oram, Ross Taylor and Scott Styris, we know we've got a good side, and with a couple of guys coming back for the Champions Trophy, it bodes well for us in one-day cricket."
Pace bowler Tim Southee, still only 19, was named Man of the Series for his 13 wickets.
"We came together after that first game and things started to click. You learn a lot from the guys in the team and also playing in your first one-day series," he commented.
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