da leao： Daniel Vettori has revealed that his surprise call-up for the third Test against Pakistan in Sharjah came about after he was sounded out by the New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum
da apostebet： ESPNcricinfo staff30-Nov-20141:12
Vettori sees bright future for New Zealand
Daniel Vettori has revealed that his surprise call-up for the third Test against Pakistan in Sharjah came about after he was sounded out by the New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum. Vettori was due to tour the UAE anyway, as part of the New Zealand A side who were playing a series of 50-over matches, and McCullum asked him if he would be ready to play a Test match if New Zealand needed a third spinner. Vettori, whose recent career has been beset by injuries, hadn’t played a Test since July 2012, and first-class cricket since December 2013.”It started with a text message from Brendon,” Vettori said, after New Zealand had wrapped up a series-levelling innings win in the third Test. “He obviously knew I was coming over with the A team to play in the one-dayers before the ODI series here, sort of talked about the wickets, and possibly the need for three spinners and sort of went from there.”The form and fitness has been going really well and I played a warm-up game against UAE and [was] drafted into the squad and very happy to be here.”Vettori said he took his time over saying yes to the team management’s call, with a longer-term aim of keeping himself fit for the 2015 World Cup in mind.”Yeah, it did [require some thinking],” Vettori said. “I would have been remiss if I hadn’t thought about the big picture around the World Cup, and the workload was always questionable.”But I spoke to [New Zealand ODI seamer] Kyle Mills about it and he said he’d do anything to play a Test match for New Zealand and I think that was the thing that tipped me over the edge and particularly knowing that my workload would be relatively small, to come into a New Zealand team that has been doing so well and led so well, it was actually exciting to come into the side.”Daniel Vettori picked up a wicket in each innings in New Zealand’s series-levelling win in Sharjah•AFP
Vettori said the injuries he had suffered over the last few years had convinced him he would never play Test cricket again, but didn’t feel the need to announce his retirement.”I’d had a lot of injuries over the last couple of years, particularly my Achilles and it hadn’t allowed me to run, really, and it affected my fitness and I hadn’t played a lot of cricket,” Vettori said. “I think in my mind there wasn’t any more Test cricket in the future, but I didn’t think it was appropriate to retire when I had been out of the team so long, and it was probably easier to just disappear, but this opportunity over the last few days has been special.”Vettori said it was unlikely he would play any more Test cricket, but felt it wasn’t the time for him to be announcing his retirement, considering the mood around international cricket following the death of Australian batsman Phillip Hughes.”I don’t think I’ll leave the door open, but in the current environment it’s not appropriate to speak of those things,” Vettori said. “I just want to relax and enjoy this win and get ready for the one-day series.”Hughes’ death left a pall of gloom over the Test match, and both sides struggled with their emotions while they played it. Vettori said it had been particularly hard for some of the New Zealand players who had played cricket with Hughes and knew him very well.”It’s been a very hard Test match to play and we’re lucky that we’ve had Brendon and [coach] Mike Hesson and Mike Sandle, our manager, to lead us and really help the guys get through it, because a lot of guys knew Phillip very well and we felt like he was one of us, and we mourned him as a teammate.”Vettori led the New Zealand side out on the first morning of the Sharjah Test, and he said he felt proud of the moment but also a “little odd”.”I was very mindful of not hijacking the moment, because I think the fact that I had been out of Test cricket for so long and this team’s been doing so well, I mean I haven’t played a lot of cricket with some of the guys, and it felt a little odd, but the way Brendon spoke in the team meeting before the game and throughout the Test match made it feel like the right thing to do and something I’m very proud of.”Vettori came over to the UAE with no inkling that he was going to play a Test match, which meant that his beloved, battered Test cap had to make a separate journey to join him.”My wife couriered it over,” he said. “I was lucky that it made it here in time, it wouldn’t have felt quite right to play a Test match not in this cap. It’s seen a lot of games and a lot of good times and a lot of hard times, so it’s very special to me.”
