Cricket: And yet again it's all up to Vettori

Daniel Vettori. Photo / Getty Images

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Sorry if this sounds familiar: Daniel Vettori has emerged as New Zealand's most pivotal figure if they are to break the 17-year test-match drought against Australia.

After a day of lost opportunities, the New Zealand captain would have no doubt preferred a different scenario, but if his team are to end up chasing a reasonable target, he is going to have to be at his best today.

With the footmarks becoming more pronounced and with Australia having two left-armers and an offspinner to exploit them, Mitchell Johnson has nominated 350 as a score Australia would feel comfortable defending.

For anything less to be a reality, the responsibility will likely fall on Vettori's shoulders.

As Chris Martin's wicket drought deepens, the New Zealand captain has effectively been left without a spearhead.

Brent Arnel, despite a promising start at this level, is still unproven against class opposition and Tim Southee remains an innings-by-innings proposition in terms of effectiveness.

That leaves Vettori and fellow tweaker Jeetan Patel as the most reliable source of both consistency and wickets.

That would be in contrast to New Zealand's first innings where, despite the slow wicket, Australia's pace trio shared all the wickets between them.

Johnson was the star, taking 4-59 off 16 overs. Even he suffered from the blazing bat of Ross Taylor, but said his side had taken comfort in restricting New Zealand to relatively meagre pickings despite being on the receiving end of a hard-hit century.

"We'll be looking forward to the next innings if we get that big total up there, 350-plus," said Johnson.

Vettori prefaced the importance of a big first-innings score and must have felt a sinking feeling as he, first-test centurion Brendon McCullum and Jeetan Patel fell to poor shots, while Martin Guptill wicket was very soft.

Speaking at the conclusion of day one - which undoubtedly belonged to New Zealand - he said: "Our track record suggests it needs to be five good days, rather than one."

One of those days can now be officially scored as a miss, but there is still a chance this milestone match will be remembered in the Vettori household for all the right reasons.

Few would begrudge Vettori a victory in his 100th test. As much as he has tried to push aside the emotion of the week, it has followed him.

Father Renzo presented his son with his playing cap, in what was described as a moving ceremony in front of teammates and family before day one.

Vettori, who was also presented with a commemorative cap by New Zealand cricket president Denis Currie before play, responded with a run out and 4-36 in 19.3 beguiling overs on Saturday.