Cricket: Skipper pleased at sixth test ton

Daniel Vettori. Photo / Getty Images

Dan Vettori was quietly satisfied with his sixth test hundred last night, but also had solid praise for new test wicketkeeper Reece Young.

The pair added 138 for the seventh wicket to rescue New Zealand from a dicey 180 for six on the first afternoon at the Basin Reserve.

Vettori's 110 was a strong, decisive contribution, and in Young, the longtime Auckland player who shifted south to Canterbury this summer to enhance his international prospects, he found a reliable ally.

Young's 57 took 222 minutes and came off 162 balls and he looked the part at No 7 in the batting order.

"Reece and I played age group against each other and we've got a good understanding," Vettori said last night.

"I thought he played pretty well, looked good, never looked nervous and he played some really good shots.

"That's important for a player coming in at No 7, because it's a position you need a guy who can play his shots and be aggressive."

Vettori said although skinny on runs in his last few tests, he had felt in good nick at the crease. "People correlate form with runs. If you haven't got runs then you're out of form.

"I've felt really good the whole way through. It just hasn't worked for me in the last four tests which is pretty disappointing because I set high standards."

His family were on hand to celebrate his hundred and having got New Zealand's batting into some shape, Vettori looks like being a key figure with his left arm spin in the second half of the test.

Yesterday the odd ball jumped and turned and he knows there is the likelihood of more assistance as the test wears on.

"It's a fantastic wicket, good for everyone. But if we put ourselves in a position come the last day hopefully I can have a big say," he said.

"We have to step up in the third innings and perform a lot better than we have. But there's definitely a length there that makes it a little tough [for the batsmen]."

The classy allrounder has scored 4158 runs and taken 341 wickets in tests. The next target is 59 wickets away. While he relishes the runs, Vettori acknowledged the toil involved with the wicket-taking means those successes will always remain particularly sweet.