daniel vettori

Daniel Vettori has been on the international scene so long it is sometimes hard to believe he has only recently crossed into his thirties. The youngest man to play Test cricket for New Zealand, at the age of 18, he is one of only eight players to have managed the double of 300 Test wickets and 3000 runs. With time on his side, he could one day creep up towards Hadlee’s 431 Test dismissals, but to do that Vettori would need to avoid the stress fractures in his back that troubled him earlier in his career. He also cannot afford another form slump like the one he suffered in 2003-04.

He bounced back from that one, returning to his best, and his mastery of drift and subtle variations in flight, speed and length earned him a reputation as New Zealand’s most dangerous player. It was that guile and ability to confuse the batsmen that sometimes turned what seemed like innocuous deliveries into unplayable hand grenades by the time they reached the other end.

He troubled Australia with 12 for 149 at Eden Park in March 2000, giving him his first ten-wicket Test. He continued to peak whenever he faced Australia, and also feasted against Bangladesh in 2004, taking 20 for 224 in the two-match rout. He was recognised alongside Muttiah Muralitharan as one of the best spinners outside Australia for the Super Series in 2005-06, and was one of six players to represent the World XI in the Test and all three one-dayers.

A more than handy lower-order batsman, he is the most prolific No. 8 in Tests. He was installed as captain for the Twenty20 World Championship in 2007 and took over from Fleming as the Test captain ahead of their two-Test tour of South Africa. However, retirements and the ICL saw New Zealand slip in the world rankings, and Vettori was saddled with more responsibilities than he could have imagined – including that of selector in 2009. Positive results, especially in Tests, were hard to come by but it didn’t affect Vettori’s form, and on many occasions his lower-order batting has come to the rescue.
Brydon Coverdale