Cricket: Numbers justify Vettori's recall

Left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori is likely to join the bowling attack in Sharjah. Picture / Alan Gibson

Veteran back in the mix to bolster attack in third test at Sharjah

For anyone who thinks Daniel Vettori's likely selection for the third test against Pakistan is sentimental so he can become the New Zealand record-holder for caps - they need to examine the series statistics and the pitch.

In the first two tests Pakistan's spinners Zulfiqar Babar and Yasir Shah took 24 wickets at 27.92; New Zealand's Mark Craig and Ish Sodhi took eight wickets at 90.13.

New Zealand coach Mike Hesson has defended the efforts of the incumbents: "They've bowled some nice spells but have struggled to create pressure over periods. We're still working on that. Mark's been trying to bowl slightly wider of the crease to hit the footmarks and become more of a challenge to their right-handers. That's why batsmen like Younis Khan kept running at him because he wasn't happy with him landing there.

"Ish bowled some wonderful deliveries but got a bit tired. He probably bowled a bit slowly [through the air]."

In contrast Vettori has taken 96 of his 360 test wickets on the subcontinent at 28.95. Against Pakistan that inflates to 20 wickets at 48.50 and he took one for 178 against them at Lahore in 2002 before the Karachi bomb blast cancelled the second test.

Vettori's numbers should enhance rather than detract from what Craig and Sodhi are doing. Jimmy Neesham, whom Vettori is expected to replace, has taken one for 63 across both tests. He's been tidy but relatively innocuous on docile wickets.

Speaking of wickets, Hesson's assertion "If you saw some [grass], you obviously saw something I didn't" holds true. The Sharjah strip has the sheen of glazed pottery and produces a reflection you could rely on as a shaving mirror. Batting first will again be the optimum decision.

Eking out wickets will be tough so having Vettori in a bowling allrounder role gives Sodhi and Craig breathing space between spells. Vettori's contribution is expected to be about 10-15 overs per innings.

Vettori's comments before the first NZ A one-dayer have become prescient after visiting the New Zealand dressing room on the second day of the drawn test in Dubai.

"It's still exhilarating. It's a familiar feeling and one I haven't experienced for a while but it's still an exciting one." Now he gets the chance to revive it.

Seeing the name "DL Vettori" on a team list will also make Pakistan wary. Many of their line-up have not faced him, but he comes with a reputation. If anecdotal evidence from UAE taxi drivers of subcontinental origin is any gauge, Vettori has surpassed Sir Richard Hadlee as the most widely known New Zealand cricketer in this part of the world. He is, to quote at least a dozen of them, "a very, very good spin bowler".

However, the tactic of using three spinners has not proved successful in the past. In the past 30 years there have been five such instances, resulting in four losses and a draw. The best return was from John Bracewell, Evan Gray and Stephen Boock with 11 for 355 against Pakistan in the seven-wicket loss at Hyderabad in 1984; the next best was 10 for 241 when New Zealand last employed the strategy playing Vettori, Paul Wiseman and Mark Priest against Sri Lanka in the 164-run loss at Colombo in 1998.

Andrew Alderson travelled to the UAE courtesy of Emirates.

Daniel Vettori
• Total - 360 wickets @ 34.42
• Subcontinent - 96 @ 28.95
• Pakistan - overall - 20 @ 48.50
• Pakistan - away - 1 @ 178*
*One test on the bomb blast tour of 2002