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Dan Vettori yesterday put one of New Zealand cricket's grubbier character attacks in its place on the eve of tomorrow's Twenty20 international against Australia in Sydney.
He is delighted for his former Northern Districts teammate Ian Butler, who has regained his place in the squad after five years on the outer.
In that time, Butler has battled fitness issues and reinvented himself from a sharp fast bowler to a lively above-medium pacer and hard-hitting lower order batsman.
Butler, who played eight tests and 15 ODIs, was alleged to be "pea hearted" in an email from former New Zealand bowler Brendon Bracewell to a past New Zealand captain Ken Rutherford, from where it reached a national newspaper in 2004.
Vettori had to be reminded of the incident this week and seemed bemused by the allegation.
"I wouldn't describe Ian like that," he said.
"He's probably one of the biggest triers I've ever met. He's relentless in everything he does on and off the park. Hopefully this time round he gets an opportunity to establish a place for a long time because he's still a young guy."
The 27-year-old Butler, the most interesting selection in the New Zealand squad, is enjoying a purple run of form in his first season at Otago. He is one of five in the 13-man squad yet to play a Twenty20 international, alongside batsmen Martin Guptill and Neil Broom, allrounder Grant Elliott and fast-medium Iain O'Brien. At least three will get a run in the transtasman double header, which is tipped to draw more than 30,000 to the SCG.
The idea is to keep broadening the base of possible contenders for July's world Twenty20 championship in
England. The teams have met twice in Twenty20 matches, Australia winning both, at Eden Park in the 2005 inaugural contest in that format and again in Perth late in 2007.
New Zealand tied and beat the West Indies in their two matches in December, putting an end to a seven-game losing streak.
Australia have introduced young New South Wales allrounder Moises Henriques for the game. Born on the Portuguese island of Madeira, but raised in Australia, Henriques has made a rapid rise, more on potential than actual output, and scored himself an Indian Premier League contract last season as well.
Michael Clarke, if fit, will lead Australian side which also includes big-hitting opener David Warner, who played the first two ODIs against New Zealand before being dropped.
New Zealand's final selection will be intriguing. Backup wicketkeeper Peter McGlashan is likely to be one of the two to sit the game out. The other could be Martin Guptill as a blazing opener to partner Brendon McCullum.
There seems little point not playing Butler or James Franklin, with his left-handedness an asset.
Beaten semifinalists in the inaugural Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa, Vettori is confident his team can make a splash in England in June.
"There's still some guys on the sideline with injury who can come back and make an enormous difference.
"If we have a couple of these young guys stepping up and pushing for places then it would be nice to have a really strong squad of 14 or 15 to select from and you go away thinking you've got a chance of winning."
AUSTRALIA V NZ
Sydney Cricket Ground, 9.30pm tomorrow
Australia
Michael Clarke (c)
David Warner
Brad Haddin
David Hussey
Adam Voges
Moises Henriques
Cameron White
Nathan McCullum
James Hopes
Mitchell Johnson
Nathan Bracken
Ben Hilfenhaus
Peter Siddle
New Zealand
Dan Vettori (c)
Brendon McCullum
Martin Guptill
Callum Ferguson
Ross Taylor
Grant Elliott
Neil Broom
James Franklin
Ian Butler
Kyle Mills
Peter McGlashan
Tim Southee
Iain O'Brien
