Vettori feels he's playing his part, at last

Lynn McConnell

December 26, 2002

It's taken 405.2 overs for left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori to get a bowl for New Zealand in its National Bank Series with India, but he didn't waste his chance picking up a wicket after only four balls.

Vettori was unused during New Zealand's two Test match victories over India so quickly did the tourists succumb to New Zealand's fast-medium attack.

The way India's batting collapsed today at Eden Park, he wondered if he was going to go another match without having to bowl.

"I was happy to get one, I was a little bit scared I wasn't going to get one at one stage. I've got to thank Bondy [Shane Bond] as he got whacked in one over so it gave me a chance to come in.

"It is a frustration. I'm in the team to bowl and I've done pretty well in the past and to come into a situation where you can't get a bowl is tough. I certainly understand the situation," he said.

When teams were bowled out in less than 40 overs it was a case of keeping going with what was doing the job.

He did think he would bowl his full 10 overs when he arrived at the ground today but was hopeful that previous good fortune he had enjoyed in Napier could be repeated in the next game of the series.

"I'll probably have to play my games overseas. I know I'm going to get plenty of bowling overseas [New Zealand's next tours are to Sri Lanka and India] next year.

"It has been disappointing with the wickets. Everybody has been disappointed that they don't allow true cricket even the wicket tonight wasn't of that good a standard," he said.

It wasn't possible to trust the wickets that have been played on in the series, and that was a problem for the Indians who were used to knowing that if they got into some difficulty at home, they could still trust the bounce.

"When I went out to bat I set myself to be there at the end. Jacob Oram filled me in with what was going on. When the run rate is that low you can take your time, you can do it in singles and I think that is what we did. We tried to turn the strike over as much as possible.

"I thought some of their fields were quite defensive so you got the chance to push the singles," he said.

Vettori said it was fantastic to see a player like Oram come into the side and make the impression that he had this season.

He had been knocking on the door for a little and while being in and out of the one-day team the innings he played in Hamilton gave him a lot of confidence.

"With his bowling he is doing just the right thing while with his batting in the last two games has been extremely mature and they have been match-winning innings.

Having taken a wicket, a very good catch and scored some runs, Vettori said he felt like he was contributing something to the side at last.

Even if he is not getting the work in the middle that he would like, Vettori said he is still keeping his workload up in the nets and that was helping him build up his back after the stress fractures of two summers ago.

As far as captain Stephen Fleming was concerned it was an end to the pressure Vettori had been putting on him: "It was just a relief to shut him up," Fleming said with a laugh. "He's been using you guys [the media] as a vehicle.

But Fleming did admit that Vettori had played well at the end of New Zealand's innings with the bat while the last 23 runs were scored.

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Daniel Vettori

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India tour of New Zealand

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