Profiles / Andrew Hughes / 30 December 2008 / Leave a comment

Andrew Hughes looks at the multi-dimensional role carried out by New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori and considers whether he and the team have improved since he took charge of the Black Caps.

New Zealand used to be everyone's favourite second team. A bunch of gnarled, leathery characters with one or two mavericks and a collective sense of humour that marked them out from their cousins across the Tasman Sea. There were the honest seamers, men like Ewan Chatfield, Willie Watson and Martin Snedden, who hammered away relentlessly on a good length. There were the immovable objects in the batting order such as Bruce Edgar, Bev Congdon and Mark Richardson. And one or two greats like Richard Hadlee, Glen Turner or Martin Crowe meant they could frighten anyone on their day.

But it's hard to imagine anyone trembling in the pavilion at the thought of facing Mark Gillespie or Jamie How. With victories hard to come by and a chorus of former players sharpening their knives off stage, the position of New Zealand captain has to be one of the least desirable occupations in the world of cricket. Let's hear it then for Daniel Vettori, the man doing the job that no-one wants and actually doing it rather well.

Under Pressure

Vettori is one of those rare men for whom captaincy is a spur, not a ball and chain. Since his appointment in 2007, his personal stats have improved dramatically in both disciplines. For example, his Test batting average has gone up from 25.28 to 35.71 whilst his Test bowling average has improved from 34.28 to 28.31. He has carved out a niche as the world's most effective number eight, whilst adding new layers of guile to his deployment of drift, flight, pace and length to make him the best left-arm spinner playing today.

Captain Sensible

Others got first shot at deputising for the previous incumbent, Stephen Fleming. But one by one, Chris Cairns, Nathan Astle and Craig McMillan retired and Vettori, the unassuming, bespectacled spinner became the heir apparent. Those who had doubts about his suitability for the role need not have worried. He had evidently spent his long apprenticeship in the national team learning from Fleming, one of the best captains in the modern game. Vettori is a thinking cricketer and possesses the rare virtue of remaining calm in a crisis. His unflappable manner and keen tactical awareness combine with a understated resilience to make him ideal captaincy material.

Can't Bat Won't Bat

Still, it wasn't the best time to become New Zealand captain. A combination of spineless administration, the lure of Indian cash and the dictatorial regime of coach John Bracewell led to the early retirements of key batsmen Fleming, Astle, McMillan and Mark Richardson and the bowling spearhead Shane Bond. In their absence a host of youngsters have been thrust into the national spotlight before they are ready. Their bowling has retained traces of competence, but their batting has been hopeless. Vettori has made regular public pleas for his batsmen to improve, but many of them are simply out of their depth.

The Bearded Wonder

Yet Vettori's record as captain is pretty good. He is the fourth most successful Test captain in New Zealand history, behind Fleming and eighties stalwarts captains Geoff Howarth and Jeremy Coney. In one day cricket, his record is better still, with a higher percentage of wins than any other Black Cap captain aside from Glen Turner, who only led his country seven times. That Vettori has been able to achieve this with one of the worst groups of players ever to represent their country is quite a feat. If the likes of Tim Southee, Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder can fulfil their potential, there might be better times ahead for New Zealand under their bearded leader.

Bad Versus Worse

For now, though, the Black Caps are locked in a grim struggle with the equally inept West Indies. Two Tests and a brace of Twenty20 games couldn't produce a decisive result, so now it's on to the five match one-day series. But in this format, the home side appear to hold a distinct advantage. New Zealand are ranked 5th in the world on official ICC figures, which explains why you can back them at just [1.77] to win the first game on Wednesday with the eighth-ranked West Indies available at [2.22].