"The World Cup's the goal. Tests would put too much of a strain on the body at this stage of my career."
Vettori contemplated retiring from 50-over cricket after the last World Cup in 2011, when he stood down as captain.
However, his perseverance rehabilitating from enough injuries to make an MRI scanner wince has been worthwhile.
He's expected to be named this week in the New Zealand squad to play three one-dayers against South Africa next month, before heading to the United Arab Emirates in December to play Pakistan.
Captain Brendon McCullum will be grateful for the return of a senior professional. There's a glint of steel to Vettori and part of his legacy will be his knitting a relatively weak team together as skipper during 2007-11.
He didn't have the services, as McCullum does, of now-mature players such as Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson and Tim Southee. If it wasn't for Vettori's tenacious bowling and rearguard batting in many series, who knows where New Zealand would now rank?
Compelling reasons justify why a fit Vettori is always welcome in the New Zealand cricket fold.
Just seeing 'DL Vettori' on a team sheet is enough to add a different psychological dimension to a game for both teams. In 275 ODIs, he's taken 284 wickets at an economy rate of 4.11 and a batting strike rate of 82.
Spin experience will be vital during the World Cup on pitches where only one is likely to be used.
"It's hardly a small sample size so the amount of games he's played, run-rates he's controlled and wickets he's taken are invaluable, as is the gap he fills batting in the lower-middle order," former team-mate Jacob Oram says. "Nathan McCullum's done a hell of a job in Dan's absence. His statistics are also consistent but he tends to get overlooked because he's not a headline player.
"The option of Dan's left-arm spin, coupled with experience, could be a missing link. From an opposition perspective, he carries respect. Other teams are wary of his accuracy, which can only be a good thing [for New Zealand].
"Opposition batsmen have to put pressure on other bowlers and take risks, which can lead to wickets."
Oram's endorsement is justified but Vettori knows competition for World Cup places has never been tougher.
"In squads of the past, there's always been room to pick a bolter but that's not going to happen this time," he says. "You've got at least 15 guys who deserve selection. There's no need to tinker."
Vettori's seemingly innocuous spin deliveries have been befuddling international batsmen for years. Photo / Getty Images
Vettori last played internationally in June 2013 at the Champions Trophy. After his first coaching foray with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in this year's Indian Premier League, he appeared in the Caribbean Premier League for the Jamaican Tallawahs and had the fourth-best economy rate of 5.65.
"It was a good tournament for bowlers," says Vettori. "The wickets allowed us to be part of the game, whereas sometimes wickets around the world don't allow you into the game because they're too flat.
"It was nice to get through some games and find that travel-play rhythm acclimatising to touring life again. It felt good from a bowling perspective so I feel as good as I can, but four overs is different to 10 so that remains another step up."
Vettori's thrifty bowling is a thread that has woven through his career. A benign run-up has disguised a penetrative arsenal delivered with freakish composure. It's kept his name high on Twenty20 roster shortlists across the globe.
Statistics hold the evidence. ODI powerplay laws changed in July 2005 - and have done so regularly since - but Vettori's economy rate has been a constant which has helped tie up an end and created wicket-taking opportunities for his bowling partners.
In 125 ODIs, he has conceded just 3.95 runs per over. Of current international players, he is trumped by Afghanistan's Amir Hamza (3.71 in 11 ODIs), but no player from a test-playing nation.
Since 2005, of those from test-playing nations to bowl more than five overs, Vettori is bettered by only Shaun Pollock (3.34 in 70 ODIs), Glenn McGrath (3.91 in 40 ODIs) and Ray Price (3.94 in 76 ODIs).
"A lot of the time, Dan's one step ahead of the batsman," Oram says. "Today's small boundaries, where you have to change your pace and flight, means he has to be aware of what he's trying to do. It also means Brendon can go into a match knowing, on average, Dan is going to give away less than four runs an over. That helps with planning."
Some tough calls will need to be made around selections, which is good for New Zealand cricket.
"I haven't played too much in recent seasons but generally they look like one-spinner wickets," Vettori says. "With the advent of new ODI rules [restricting a fifth man out of the 30m circle], I wouldn't expect too many games where two frontline spinners feature. That makes it a battle to be selected."
The fact Australasian wickets are more conducive to seam than spin means either Vettori or Nathan McCullum might miss selection at any one time. Some might also depend on whether the action of off-spinner Kane Williamson is judged legal by the time the World Cup starts.
McCullum's career economy rate in 67 ODIs is respectable compared with Vettori's (4.81 v 4.11) and his batting average (20.63 v 17.29) and strike rate (89 v 82) are stronger.
Vettori acknowledges he needs to work on his batting. In four CPL innings, he scored 11 runs at 3.66 but got plenty of net practice.
"My biggest concern is that I haven't batted all that much in the middle for a long time. If selected, I have to prove myself with the bat."
The most critical thing, however, is the fact he's fit. He's working on his fitness five days a week, including spells with former Olympic sprinter Chris Donaldson, who is the New Zealand team's fitness trainer, to realise his ambition of a return. The UAE tour is the priority.
"If I'm to have any hope of being selected for the World Cup, that's an integral part of the process."
