Cricket: Edge to first test of summer on home soil

The usual edge of anticipation which invariably accompanies the first home test of the summer was in place at University Oval yesterday.

New Zealand have played plenty of cricket overseas in the past few months but getting home is different, even if Pakistan are technically the hosts for the three-match series which starts today.

But it's a point not lost on New Zealand captain Dan Vettori.

"This is almost why you play test cricket, the first test match of the summer back home after a long overseas tour," he said yesterday. "A lot of the guys feel the same way and we want a performance to do that feeling justice."

And speaking of Vettori, his health was front and centre among topics of discussion yesterday.

He looked uncomfortable with some throwing drills on the oval yesterday. He took a blow on the right elbow at training on Sunday, and his shoulder has been giving him gyp for some time. So is he fit for the test?

"I wouldn't say fully, but I'll be fine," he said a touch coyly.

But it is a worry, given that New Zealand will have only four bowlers, with part-time medium-pacer Grant Elliott likely only to be used in a jam, as he has a dodgy knee.

New Zealand's fast-medium mix is intriguing. Vettori said yesterday the decision had been made whom to leave out, either Daryl Tuffey or Iain O'Brien, but he wanted the player to know before it became public.

That suggested O'Brien might be omitted, which would be tough considering he has been a steady performer, with 58 wickets in 17 tests, and Vettori is known to have felt he could always rely on the Wellington man.

But Tuffey has been in good form and has 66 wickets in his 22 tests, the last of which was five years ago.

Shane Bond and Chris Martin seem certainties, and a good thumbing of the record books will be needed to find when New Zealand last had a fast-medium trio with either 101 years between them (Bond, Martin and O'Brien) or 99 (Tuffey for O'Brien).

Both camps had their minds more on the batting challenges of the University Oval pitch than the bowling.

Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam is confident they have the bowlers to get 20 wickets, but "you have to be careful because if you bat first you have got to play four or five sessions".

Having confirmed talented offspinner Saeed Ajmal will start with three fast-medium bowlers, Intikhab chuckled that "I think you need seven batters on this wicket".

He knows the form in Dunedin, where bowling first is the standard order of business. That said, New Zealand chose to have first crack against the West Indies in the second test on the ground last summer, and made a respectable 365.

Vettori admitted there would be a focus on New Zealand's batting.

"We're going in with only four bowlers so they have to step up. We have to acknowledge our batting hasn't been as good as we'd like. We go in with six batters - their role is to bat; none of them have to worry about bowling."

The umpire referral system is back. Intikhab thinks it "a good idea"; Vettori is more neutral.

"I've played a long time with no referral system and have no issues with it. I've seen it work well and I've seen it work badly. Hopefully we can get it to where it becomes an instrument or get rid of the bad decisions and nothing more."

Vettori reckoned the New Zealand squad was "running pretty smoothly" without a head coach. And whether New Zealand prove that to be the case against an erratic but talented opponent will be among the more fascinating elements of the week.

NZ v PAKISTAN

University Oval, noon today

NEW ZEALAND(from) Dan Vettori (c), Tim McIntosh, Martin Guptill, Daniel Flynn, Ross Taylor, Peter Fulton, Grant Elliott, Brendon McCullum, Iain O'Brien, Daryl Tuffey, Shane Bond, Chris Martin.

PAKISTAN(from) Mohammad Yousuf (c), Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Khurram Manzoor, Fawad Alam, Umer Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Faisal Iqbal, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamer, Yasir Arafat, Saeed Ajmal, Danish Kaneria, Abdur Rauf.

UMPIRES Simon Taufel (Australia), Billy Doctrove (West Indies). Third official: Rudi Koertzen (South Africa).

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Vettori: Bowlers will have to step up

The retirement of Jacob Oram means New Zealand cannot afford passengers, according to captain Daniel Vettori.

The injury-prone all-rounder has been a strong performer in both disciplines for the Black Caps but announced his retirement from the five-day game last month.

That means New Zealand will head into tomorrow's first Test against Pakistan with six specialist batsmen, wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum, spinner Vettori and three seamers.
"You want to perform in all disciplines," said Vettori. "I think there's going to be a focus on the batting but when you're going in with four bowlers, you want to make sure all four step up.

"In the past we've probably had a bit of a luxury with the all-rounder but this time round everyone has to step up and do their job.

"That's going to be the key throughout the summer, that we get players performing at the right times."

Vettori, who took a blow on the elbow in the nets yesterday, admitted he himself is not fully fit.

"I wouldn't say fully, but I'll be fine," he said. Nevertheless, Vettori wants the specialist bowlers to do all the bowling, especially as part-timer Grant Elliott has been carrying a knee injury.

"In a desperate situation we could call on him, but we'd rather not," said Vettori. "We'd rather stick to the four bowlers.

"It probably means an increased workload for me in particular, but I think that's a good thing.

"We have to be honest and acknowledge that our batting hasn't been as good as we'd like but I've seen some really good improvements in some of the guys.

"Now we go into a Test match with six batters and their role is to bat. None of them have to worry about bowling so hopefully them, combined with Brendon and myself, can get the job done."

Vettori expects a tough challenge from a Pakistan side somewhat out of practise because of the security concerns which have limited international sport in the country.

"They're a dangerous side," he said. "They've got a very balanced bowling line-up and they've got one of the greatest batsmen of the modern generation in Mohammed Yousuf, so when you put that together that's a useful side."

The series will use the controversial referral system and Vettori admitted to mixed feelings about the innovation.

He said: "It's a difficult one. I played a long time with no referral system and had no issues. I've seen it work well and I've seen it work badly.

"Hopefully we can get it to where it becomes an instrument to get rid of bad decisions and nothing more."

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Vettori fit for first Pakistan test

Captain Daniel Vettori has been passed fit but fast bowler Kyle Mills needs surgery and will miss New Zealand's cricket test series against Pakistan, which begins at Dunedin next week.

Vettori returned from New Zealand's limited-overs and Twenty20 series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates yesterday with mild concussion after being struck by a Mohammed Aamer bouncer and with an injury to his bowling shoulder.

The left-arm spinner consulted an orthopedic surgeon Monday and New Zealand Cricket said scans showed rotator cuff damage, but the injury was minor and could be managed with physiotherapy and exercise.

Vettori's concussion is also slight and will not affect his availability for the first of three tests against Pakistan from November 22.

Mills will undergo surgery within two weeks to fix a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder and tendon damage in his right knee, New Zealand Cricket said. A key member of New Zealand's one-day team, Mills was less likely to be chosen for the Dunedin test in which Chris Martin and Iain O'Brien may share the new ball.

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Vettori regains top bowling spot

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori regained the top spot as spinners dominated the latest ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers.
Vettori, who slipped to second behind Sri Lanka fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara after the home series against India in March this year, has reclaimed the No. 1 spot after a good series against Pakistan in which he not only inspired the Black Caps to a 2-1 series win but also picked up five wickets in the process.

Vettori's efforts have helped him leapfrog his teammate Kyle Mills who has slipped four places to fifth in the latest rankings which were released on Thursday.

The spin quartet of Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan, Zimbabwe's Ray Price, Nathan Hauritz of Australia and Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal have achieved the best rankings of their careers to date following good performances in their respective series.

Shakib has moved up two places to second position after a good series against Zimbabwe, Price has jumped three places to third after a productive series against South Africa, Hauritz has vaulted seven places to 17th spot after a successful series against India while Pakistan's Saeed Ajmal has rocketed 17 places to 20th spot after the series against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi.

Harbhajan Singh and Shahid Afridi have also returned to the top 10 after good performances against Australia and New Zealand. Harbhajan has jumped 11 places to join Afridi in eighth spot after picking up eight wickets against Australia while Afridi has improved by three places after his five wickets against the Black Caps.

Amongst the fast bowlers, New Zealand's Jacob Oram has climbed eight places to 11th after his four wickets against Pakistan, Australia's Doug Bollinger has rocketed 52 places to 69th position after his nine wickets against India but New Zealand's Shane Bond, Australia duo of Mitchell Johnson and Brett Lee, and India pair of Praveen Kumar and Ishant Sharma have failed to defend their positions.

Bond has slipped two places to seventh spot, Johnson shares 13th spot with South Africa's Johan Botha after dropping two places, Lee and Kumar have dropped six places each to 22nd and 24th respectively while Sharma has dropped nine places to 35th position.

In the ICC Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, Australia captain Ricky Ponting has continued his upward movement and after a productive series in India in which he scored 267 runs, he has risen to fourth after improving his ranking by two places. Ponting had started the series in eighth position.

Mike Hussey, who was the most successful batsman in India with 313 runs, has strengthened his second position. Along with India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who contributed 285 runs, he is now the only other batsman with more than 800 ratings points.

Also moving up the order is New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Brendon McCullum who has broken into the top 20 for the first time in his career. McCullum, who scored 228 runs in the series, has jumped 16 places to a career-best 16th spot.

Other batsmen to move in the right direction are South Africa's JP Duminy in 22nd spot (up by 11 places), Australia's Shane Watson in 26th position (up by 10 places), Australia's Cameron White in 42nd spot (up by 25 places) and Zimbabwe's Brendon Taylor in 47th place (up by 13 places).

India vice-captain Yuvraj Singh leads the list of batsmen who have failed to defend their rankings.

Yuvraj, who started the series in second place, has dropped five places to eighth position, while Gautam Gambhir has dropped four places to share the 19th spot with Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya.

Others to lose ground are Shoaib Malik in 22nd spot (down by six places), Ross Taylor in 27th position (down by four places), Younus Khan in 30th place (down by five places) and Mohammad Ashraful in 57th position (down by seven places).

In the ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders, Watson has achieved a -career-best second ranking after his player-of-the-series performance against India in which he scored 256 runs and took 10 wickets. Besides his 26th place in the batting table, the Queenslander sits in 32nd position in the bowling chart.

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Surgeon to rule on Vettori's season

New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori will see a surgeon on his return from the United Arab Emirates as he battles a chronic shoulder injury.

In news that should send a shudder down the spine of every cricket fan in the country, Vettori's problem shoulder is his bowling arm.

Vettori, 30, captained New Zealand overnight in the third one-day international against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and was unable to discuss the injury, but a New Zealand Cricket spokesman confirmed it was being closely monitored.

When the injury flared up this winter and continued through the Champions Trophy in South Africa, it was feared Vettori would require an operation that would require him to miss a significant chunk of the New Zealand summer.

Those fears have been somewhat alleviated.

"Dan's shoulder came through the Champions Trophy better than expected," said the spokesman. "We are not anticipating he will miss any international cricket this summer.

"It is more than likely he will see a surgeon when he returns but at this point, if any work has to be done, we anticipate that it will be at the end of the summer or even at the end of the world Twenty20 champs.

"We're trying to manage [the injury] as best we can."

That tournament takes place in the West Indies in April and May.

NZC and Vettori have every reason to hope that his shoulder bears up under the strain. With coach Andy Moles resignation last month, Vettori's already bulging portfolio of responsibilities increased further.

He is captain, selector, allrounder and surrogate coach.

If the worst-case scenario comes true and Vettori is advised to either have surgery or rest his shoulder, the selectors will have an interesting conundrum as to who to appoint as captain.

NZC divested Brendon McCullum of the vice-captaincy duties before the trip to the United Arab Emirates, telling him to concentrate on his responsibilities behind the stumps and with the bat.

He responded with his best one-day innings for New Zealand, a run-a-ball 131 in Saturday's second ODI.

McCullum would remain the frontrunner to take over in the absence of Vettori though, ironically, his return to form might work against him. The selectors might now be convinced he is better off without the added burden of leadership.

That would leave Ross Taylor as the only other viable option who plays across three formats of the game.

At 25, Taylor has been earmarked as a captain of the future, but there would be a reluctance to pitch him into that role before he fulfilled his world-class potential as a batsman.

"Certainly no decision has been made on who might captain in the absence of Dan," the NZC spokesman said. "There are a number of senior players who are willing to step up."

The official NZC line on McCullum's demotion was that the selectors were keen to increase the leadership skills in the New Zealand squad, rather than placing the burden in the hands of just two players.

If Vettori's bung shoulder gives out, they could find out soon enough whether that strategy has been successful.

SHOULDERING A BURDEN

* Daniel Vettori made his debut for New Zealand in February, 1997.
* He has played 94 tests, 248 ODIs and 18 T20 internationals.
* This year he has bowled 2664 legitimate deliveries for his country, well down on the 4326 he delivered in 2008.

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Cricket: From frying pan into the fire for Vettori

The first thing Daniel Vettori mentioned when hitting the tarmac in Dubai last week was that he was relieved to have escaped the all-consuming attention that came with the resignation of New Zealand coach Andy Moles.

Given that he is due to take the field in two days under cloudless skies and a forecasted temperature of 36° against a useful Pakistan line-up hellbent on revenge for their Champions Trophy semifinal defeat, you could argue he's leapt from the frying pan into the fire.

Add his responsibilities as selector and surrogate coach and you cannot help but feel that October-November 2009 are going to make for an interesting chapter when he comes to write his life story.

"I don't feel like I have to pick up any slack in terms of coaching the side or anything like that but it's about coming over here and getting the job done," Vettori said on arrival in the Middle East.

That marries with something he told the Herald on Sunday last week, when news of Moles' resignation was confirmed. It was irrelevant, Vettori emphasised, what he thought of having to take on a greater leadership role; how he dealt with it was the only thing that mattered.

In two weeks, New Zealand cricket will know exactly how he dealt with it. Mark Greatbatch will be on the trip to act as a sounding board for Vettori when it comes to matters of selection. But you can bet your last cent he will also be detailing the dynamic within the squad and making recommendations back to NZC about what type of coach Vettori needs alongside him.

That's why, despite the screeds of speculation in the past week (some of it sound, some of it downright silly) over who might next coach New Zealand, Justin Vaughan has stated the phone will not be picked up in anger until the team returns. It is one reason (although not the only one) there have been only tepid appraisals of John Wright's credentials, despite a couple of high-profile endorsements.

So Vettori is leading not just for the present but the future. In a sense, the results are almost secondary.

If they win, there is going to be the inevitable call from some to carry on during the immediate future without a head coach, bringing in specialists when required. If they lose, not a day will pass this summer when there won't be fresh speculation over who should get the job.

It won't be Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam, though he did have this to offer on the debate.

"From where I see it, it is very important for an international cricket team to have a full-time coach," he is reported as saying, hardly surprisingly, as Pakistan coach is not noted as the most secure position in world cricket.

"It could be tough for him [Vettori]. I mean, the whole idea of having a coach is to ensure that the captain is spared from any headaches and can focus on leading his players on the field in the best possible manner."

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Fleming will make a wonderful Black Caps coach: Vettori

WELLINGTON: New Zealand's captain and de facto coach Daniel Vettori believes former skipper Stephen Fleming would make a wonderful Black Caps coach.

Vettori will lead the team to the United Arab Emirates for a One-day and Twenty20 series against Pakistan as both captain and coach following Andy Moles' decision on Saturday to step down as coach after a review process revealed he was ill-equipped to continue in the role.

With Moles not stepping up to the mark, Vettori has been effectively coaching the team for the past six months,

The Sunday Star-Times quoted Vettori as saying that he was happy to continue as player-coach for the next few months, including the home test series against Pakistan next month, but after that he would prefer to see someone come into the role.

"Stephen and I keep in regular contact and he's been quite a big help in going through all this stuff and some other things that have gone on. He has concerns about my workload and he wants to be a sounding board and do anything he can to help," Vettori said.

"He's definitely got coach written all over him and he could be an extremely successful one; it's just whether he wants to get back into that life of touring the world and in that regard it probably is too soon for him. But he would make a wonderful coach," he added.

New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan, when asked if Fleming was a coach candidate, said: "I don't think this is the right time."

In the short-term manager Dave Currie will have his leadership responsibilities upgraded to help Vettori, while current assistant coach Mark O'Donnell will remain with the team, stuff.co.nz reports.

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Vettori cool on support for Moles

Daniel Vettori has given New Zealand's coach Andy Moles little more than qualified support after Thursday's reports that the senior players wanted Moles sacked. Vettori, the captain, was pressed on the issue when accepting his prize at the New Zealand Cricket awards night and was less than enthusiastic in his endorsement of Moles.

"I think we have to be," Vettori said when asked if he would be happy for Moles to continue as coach. "There's no point me making statements to the contrary. I think we have to prepare to take a team away and get the best out of them. Andy and I have a good working relationship but whether that's enough to make the team better is the question that's been asked."

One of the concerns that the senior players were reported to have raised with NZC was that Vettori had effectively been coaching the team for the past six months and that Moles had not provided enough tactical or technical support. When asked if the players were unhappy with Moles' input, Vettori was evasive.

"I don't think I'd put it in those terms ... we're not sitting around trying to plot Andy's demise," Vettori said, as reported by NZPA. "Whenever players are asked honest questions about anything they give their answers.

"I think guys have voiced ways of making the team better. Part of that is my captaincy, part of it is players fronting up and a part of it is Andy improving as well. We just want the best for the team."

Moles and Vettori sat at the same table at the awards dinner in Auckland and Vettori said it had been a difficult day. The players are believed to like Moles as a person but question whether he is the right man to coach the team.

"It's been a tough day for a number of people involved and hopefully everyone can deal with it in the best possible manner," Vettori said. "I think Andy understands this is part of cricketing life. Guys are always looking for ways to improve and you constantly go through a review process."

Moles was expected to enter mediation talks with NZC on Friday so the issue could be dealt with before the team flies out on Monday to begin its one-day series with Pakistan in the UAE. Should Moles quit before then, Vettori did not expect a replacement coach to be in place for the tour.

"Our relationship stands strong in what we need to do," he said. "Andy and I are at the helm and until we know anything different that's the status quo ... It would be incredibly difficult for someone to step in at short notice."

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Vettori keen to push McCullum down the order

New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has said Brendon McCullum will continue as an opener for the ODI series against Pakistan because Jesse Ryder's absence due to injury meant the opening line-up was already a little shaky. However Vettori said he was keen to push McCullum down the order in future in order to exploit the batting Powerplay.

"The way the game is going [with batting Powerplays], it has become more important to have a guy down the order who can finish your innings off," Vettori was quoted as saying in the Herald on Sunday. "We've fallen over a few times recently in the late stages so that's maybe an option for later in the summer but, at the moment, Brendon's got the opportunity to open against Pakistan."

Vettori said McCullum was keen to play as an opener since it gave him more opportunities to score and win games for New Zealand. "He sees opening as the opportunity to win games for your team 10 out of every 10 times you bat, whereas when you're batting down the order you don't get that many opportunities," Vettori said. "The other thing is that if you look at his record as an opener, it is pretty good. Where the criticism is, that he hasn't turned enough of his starts into centuries and really big scores."

McCullum has averaged 33.20, with one hundred and nine half-centuries, in the 57 matches he has opened for New Zealand.

Vettori, who now holds selection powers along with his captaincy, said there was plenty of debate when picking the squad to play Pakistan in Abu Dhabi next month. "I guess the first thing I've got to point out is that I was just one of four guys on the panel.There was plenty of debate about whether we went with six batsmen or look to fill the position with another allrounder and I was part of the discussions. In that case you've got to remove your personality, or ego, from the argument, but at the same time recognise that my view on it needed to be heard."

Vettori said New Zealand would wait on Ryder's availability for home Test series against Pakistan that follows the ODIs to fill the gap left by Jacob Oram, who announced his decision to retire from the five-day format. "If he's [Ryder] fit, then he can play that extra bowler role, with back-up perhaps from someone like Grant Elliott."

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