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Touchline • Issue 16 • 7
n April of this year, Daniel Vettori became New Zealand’s
most capped player. New Zealand has a habit of
throwing up talented all-rounders, and Vettori is making
a claim to be the greatest of them. It is one of New
Zealand’s most crucial hypotheticals: how good is the current
New Zealand captain when compared with the other great all
rounders?
First, some statistics. At 34, Vettori has had plenty of time to
bag those caps. He was New Zealand’s youngest ever test
debutant, playing in his first match in 1996 at the age of 18.
Since then, he has joined the exclusive ranks of players who
have scored over 3000 runs and taken 300 wickets. To be
precise, he is currently on 4516 runs and 360 wickets. On a
game-to-game basis, it is his average that really counts. Often
coming in at 7th or 8th, Vettori averages 30.10, a very useful
return from a player picked for his bowling.
The obvious rivals for title of New Zealand’s greatest all
rounder are Chris Cairns and the legendary Sir Richard Hadlee.
Hadlee in particular has the pedigree to be New Zealand’s
greatest ever player, let alone their greatest all rounder.
Regarding their batting, the two players seem about the
same, though Vettori’s average shades that of Hadlee. Hadlee
managed an average of 27.19 over his 86 tests. The older
player certainly had a better range of shots, but struggled with
the short ball. And he tended not to kick on with the big scores,
only making two test tonnes in his career. Vettori has racked
up five and counting.
In fact, Vettori’s average has improved markedly over the past
four years, where he seems to stay in regardless of the streaky
shots he tends to play. His runs just pile up, with his batting
style often cited as ugly and idiosyncratic.
So we can say that Vettori brings more to the team with the
bat. Arguably, Hadlee played for a stronger team, whereas
Vettori often comes to the middle to protect and hopefully
augment a low total. Hadlee had the benefit of turning up in
the lower order with a decent score on the board, which gave
him the opportunity to have a bit of a lash and get some fast
runs. Vettori has far more not outs, proving that he has become
a defensive batsman, despite his higher run rate.
But it is in bowling that Hadlee streaks ahead of Vettori. The
paceman took 431 wickets in his career at a phenomenal rate
of 22.29. Not only do his stats illustrate just how talented he
was, but there is something almost mythical about the great
strike bowlers. The way they open an innings with the shiny
new ball in hand, striking the deck hard and menacing the
openers. Aside from Shane Warne, slower bowlers tend not to
strike fear the way a paceman can.
There was a time a couple of years ago that pundits were
predicting Vettori would eclipse Hadlee’s wicket total. Being
roughly 70 wickets behind, it was thought that by virtue of
the amount of cricket being played, Vettori’s age and strike
rate would get him over the line. But a serious injury in 2012
sidelined the player, even threatened his career. Though since
coming back, he acknowledges that the quest to become New
Zealand’s greatest wicket taker is now beyond him.
“I can’t play another three to four years,” Vettori said back in
February.
“It actually feels like it would be wrong for me to overtake him
anyway. Paddles took 86 tests - that is five wickets a test. If I
get it, it will be due to longevity.”
This humility is typical of Vettori, and has done much to endear
him to cricket supporters everywhere. And perhaps he is right.
Hadlee’s career as a cricketer was defined by his bowling, his
batting merely a side order. He is close to the heart of every
New Zealander and hopefully his record will remain.
I
JUST HOW GOOD IS
DANIEL
VETTORI?
PLAYER PROFILE:
© CHRIS BROWN