By clamping down on a late cut to the third man boundary from an attempted Dale Steyn yorker, Daniel Vettori etched another chapter in his cricketing valedictory at Eden Park on Tuesday.
Grant Elliott deservedly received the majority of kudos for his match-winning six two balls later in the semifinal win over South Africa - after Vettori had scampered for a bye - but New Zealand's bespectacled doyen made a towering contribution.
In a curious twist, the senior pro's batting and fielding has had as much impact as his bowling in the knock-out matches. What's referred to as the "Air Vettori", in a nod to basketballer Michael Jordan's iconic brand, saw West Indian Marlon Samuels removed in the quarter-final when Vettori enacted a leap to rival a migrating salmon.
His 16 from 10 balls to nullify Bangladesh with seven balls to spare was vital in Hamilton, and an Auckland scorebook which reads "7" and "6" in Vettori's runs and balls columns seems one-dimensional given what he faced entering with 29 runs required off 17 balls.
Couple that with 15 tournament wickets at 18.80 and an economy rate of 3.98. Australia's Mitchell Starc is the only other bowler to play in more than two matches and bowl more than 50 balls to concede under four an over (3.74).
