Image courtesy of: The Telegraph
Vettori is determined to play Test cricket again
Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has revealed that sitting on the sidelines since the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Twenty20 last September has rekindled his passion for cricket, but also given him a glimpse of reality, whereby he now knows that his time in the game is limited.
Vettori has been out of action for eight months due to an Achilles injury he picked up during the World Twenty2o and he noted that watching New Zealand struggle without him has “rejuvenated” his passion and served as a reminder of what he brings to the side.
“I suppose the eight months out that I’ve had has rejuvenated a passion for the game, regardless of which format,” he told Alison Mitchell during her ESPNcricinfo Tea Break series. “I think if I’d played all through those eight months I might not have been available for one-dayers, but now I just want to play some cricket.”
However, with Vettori being included in New Zealand’s Champions Trophy squad, it is anyone’s guess how he will perform throughout the tournament after having barely played any cricket whatsoever during his time on the sidelines.
“I should be alright,” he said. “The hardest thing is that I’ve had literally no cricket in the last eight months. Couple of one-day games for my provincial team back home, then the warm-up game here. It’s felt pretty good. I got through a lot of training during the IPL but you never know until you actually get into a game situation, so that’s the hardest thing – the game situation is an international and you don’t ideally want to be trying things out in those sorts of games.
“I batted for a while the other day, and it hurt a little bit after that. I think if I can manage it as much as possible, then I can play games and hopefully build up to Test matches later in the year.”
While Vettori acknowledges he is still not ready to represent New Zealand at the Test level, he conceded that he still has a burning desire to play Test cricket at some point in the near future.
“If I can come back into the side, it’ll be about contributing to some wins,” he said. “I think that’s what everyone’s desperate for. We’ve got a fantastic pace bowling attack, and if I can complement them, particularly with the subcontinent tours coming up, and be part of Test match wins, that’s what I’m really excited about. I look back on my career and those have been my best times of my cricket career, so I’d like a few more of those.”