Daniel Vettori: The underrated giant

Ajit Vijaykumar 11:25 01/04/2015
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  • Vettori's 300 wickets in 442 international Test and ODI matches make him a Black Cap legend.

    After New Zealand lost the World Cup final to Australia, captain Brendon McCullum said that his team will not make any retirement announcements for at least a couple of days in order to allow the Australians to bask in the glory of their success.

    – Sport360’s Cricket World Cup XI
    – #CWC15: Left armers prove to be right for the Australians

    And almost right on cue, Daniel Vettori announced his retirement yesterday, bringing to an end a stellar career that saw him become the most capped Kiwi player and successful bowler. The contrast with Michael Clarke’s own headline stealing declaration on the eve of the final is hard to ignore.

    But then that’s always been the case with the understated genius of Vettori. With more than 300 wickets each in both Tests and ODIs, plus the experience of 442 international matches, Vettori is a true legend of New Zealand cricket. But his legacy goes beyond his country. He was widely considered as one of the greatest left-arm spinners of all time before a series of back and Achilles injuries put serious question marks over his career.

    Vettori had been out of the game for so long, it was feared he might have lost the art of spin along the way as well. But with a home World Cup looming, the former captain decided to bite the bullet and put his fitness issues aside for a shot at glory. And he nearly pulled it off.

    The 36-year-old was in a league of his own among slow bowlers at the World Cup. He picked up 15 scalps from nine games, but most importantly, kept up the pressure by giving away just 4.04 runs an over throughout the event – the second best economy rate behind Mitchell Starc. 

    Spinners generally did well but many were aided by the responsive wickets and huge grounds of Australia. Vettori, however, played all but one of his nine games on the small and generally unresponsive pitches in New Zealand. Playing in odd-shaped venues with not much help for the slow bowlers can unsettle the very best. But the left-armer took that as a challenge and made maximum use of change of pace, angles and variations to keep the batsmen in check. 

    Having an economy of close to four in a World Cup where 400 was breached three times and 300 all too regularly is a testament to his mastery over the art. But let’s not forget his ability with the bat. 

    In Test matches, he has scored six centuries. For a lower order batsman, that is a considerable number. It’s a shame not many hail him as one the very best all-rounders, as Vettori is only the third player to have the double of 4000 runs and 300 wickets in Tests. His all-round skills are exceptional, but it’s his control over the ball which made him special.

    There are many who feel Indian spinner Bishan Singh Bedi was the best left-arm slow bowler to have played the game as he bowled with a beautiful loop and got appreciable turn and bounce. But Vettori survived and even flourished in an era when top edges sail over the boundary ropes and wickets get flatter by the day. To fight so many challenges, come back for one last shot at glory and then come up with the goods under intense pressure is remarkable.

    In the quarter-final against the West Indies, Vettori came up with a piece of magic. Marlon Samuels hit an upper cut to third man where Vettori leapt at the last possible moment, stuck his left hand out and latched on to the ball with minimal fuss. 
    The catch summed Vettori up perfectly – cool, collected and so typically understated.

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