Opinion
All going well, Daniel Vettori should tomorrow become the third New Zealander to capture 200 wickets in one-day internationals although he'd be happy to delay the milestone in return for a win.
Here is the latest selection of your views on how you rate him:
Attila
This topic
is totally irrelevant and out of context. But here you have it, if you must. Vettori is a decent slow bowler, smart and experienced, with good accuracy. But you can't compare him with Warne or Murali. Fingerspinning has its limits. When Sri Lanka plays, Murali can single handedly win a game, simply because he can turn the ball both ways. Vettori doesn't have that sort of tool at his disposal, and this makes him easy to play for decent batsmen. You just have to get used to the way he flights the ball into the right handed batsman. Vettori is not a great wicket taker, his economy rate has been ok, because batsmen haven't really needed to target him. The difference between a good spinner and a great one is that a great spinner gets wickets even when the batsmen are just trying to see him off. Vettori can't do that.
Raj Subramanian
If I rate a bowler on the improvements they make to their craft every match, Vettori comes on top next after Shane Warne. In an otherwise pace dominated attack of New Zealand, Chris Harris ruled high on NZ Cricket, now it is Vettori. For a finger spinner, accuracy of line and length is important as well as variation to tease batsmen. I saw Chris Harris in the State Finals a few weeks ago, still maintaining his rhythm, but it was a five dayer with allowances for mistakes. Vettori, the improviser has understood the current trends in One dayers, that of the importance of change of pace, bowling angle(wide of the crease,straight,etc.)and use of the crease. He is still learning to perfect the use of near fuller length flighted deliveries to wicket taking arsenals.
His height is used advantageously like Anil Kumble did. With that height and varying pace his balls are deceptive to even the best batters. As a finger spinner, though he wants a helpful wicket to turn and spin his balls, his natural ability to restrict batsmen comes in handy on unhelpful wickets. I think he got one more target that he is working on is to prove to himself that he can get wickets aplenty in placid wickets by his flight, pace variation and the jump created by his height and speed. Think about his batting, what a transformation! He can get 50s quite easily and quickly within his own limitations. I wish that in this World Cup he should pass those milestones and be number one wicket-taker for New Zealand in One dayers.
