Cricket: Captain Vettori in hardline selection mood

Tim Southee will get an opportunity to show he has the right stuff in the first one-dayer tonight. Photo / Hawkes Bay Today

Dan Vettori had his captain's hat on in preference to his selector's headgear ahead of tonight's opening ODI against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi.

The New Zealand skipper admitted some of the squad of 15 might not get a game in the five-match series against Pakistan - the first three in Abu Dhabi, the last two in Dubai.

The squad travelled to Abu Dhabi overnight with Vettori saying he and fellow national selector Mark Greatbatch had largely decided the XI for the opening game.

As a selector, there is often a desire to give players an opportunity to show their capabilities. But last night, Captain Vettori was in a hardline mood.

"I'd put my captain's hat on and say I want to win every game possible," he said. "That's the right way to go about things. I understand as a selector you sometimes look at development as well. But my captain's hat overrides that."

He believed Greatbatch and he would pick teams to win on a match-to-match basis and if that meant some players spent their time in the United Arab Emirates sweating in the nets and carrying drinks, so be it.

Vettori expects both himself and offspinner Nathan McCullum to play tonight - Vettori and allrounder Jacob Oram are over hamstring twinges - based on how they believe the pitch will play.

But he hinted strongly that recalled swing bowler Tim Southee would get an early opportunity tonight.

Southee was left out of the mid-year events after an average time against the ferocious batting might of India. However, he did well on the New Zealand A trip to India and Vettori is a fan.

"Everyone recognises he's got wonderful ability and he's bowled really well at training," Vettori said. "I hope he can cement his place because when he first came in we saw what a good and exciting bowler he can be."

Pakistan, who have classy batsmen in captain Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf, demanding pacemen, including Umar Gul and teenage left-armer Mohammad Amer, and clever spinners, have won seven of their 11 ODIs at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

Tonight's match comes with some grim statistics. New Zealand have won just seven of 25 ODIs on neutral territory against Pakistan; in the UAE they have won eight of 29 games; and against Pakistan over there they have lost all 10.

That said, they should be buoyed by having won their most recent clash, the Champions Trophy semifinal in Johannesburg last month.

Vettori doesn't believe recent events surrounding dumped coach Andy Moles have invested this series with any extra importance.

And he sounded tetchy at the idea that he was coaching the team, pointing to the presence of regular backup staff Shane Jurgensen and Mark O'Donnell, adding that he was "just performing my usual role, which has input into training, but not overall [coaching]".

"There's been no talk about the change in structure, or who is going to be the next coach. The guys are looking at opportunities to cement places in the team and win games, rather than anything else that's going on."

* PAKISTAN v NZ

First ODI, Abu Dhabi, from 11.15 tonight, live on SS1.

Pakistan: (from) Younis Khan (c), Imran Farhat, Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Yousuf, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzak, Shahid Afridi, Iftikhar Anjum, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Khalid Latif, Wahab Riaz, Naved-ul-Hasan, Mohammad Amer.

New Zealand: (from) Dan Vettori (c), Aaron Redmond, Brendon McCullum, Martin Guptill, BJ Watling, Ross Taylor, Scott Styris, Jacob Oram, Neil Broom, James Franklin, Nathan McCullum, Ian Butler, Kyle Mills, Tim Southee, Shane Bond.