Former players back Vettori as captain

Split captaincy would not work when the Test and ODI sides were so similar, according to Ian Smith © Getty Images Enlarge

New Zealand's decision to hand Daniel Vettori the Test captaincy after ten years with Stephen Fleming at the helm was a fair call, according to several former New Zealand players. The consensus was that although there could have been benefits in leaving Fleming in charge, appointing Vettori would bring a freshness to the team.

Martin Crowe said Vettori would need to learn quickly and would face challenging decisions over how often to bowl himself. "Stephen's had a pretty good whack and at end of the day it is sport," Crowe told the Dominion Post. "I don't have a major problem with the call.

"But I just wonder whether Fleming would have got more out of Vettori as a bowler in the upcoming Test matches than Vettori will out of Vettori, just in his first year. They are big shoes to fill for Dan and things will need to go his way. Flem was a scientist in the one-day game and Dan will need to learn that. You can't go five overs umming and ahing."

Ian Smith said the writing was on the wall for Fleming when he quit the ODI captaincy after the World Cup as split leadership would not work. "If you have sides that are six or seven players different then two captains might work," Smith said.

"But I can't see how the same sides can have two different leaders in a dressing room. It just wouldn't work. As far as Dan goes I have no problem. He is a great student of the game and he is genuine allrounder whose place in the side is never in doubt."

Adam Parore described Fleming's captaincy as outstanding and said the only other leaders who had come close to matching him were Steve Waugh and Michael Vaughan. "He was the best going around," Parore said. "It's inevitable with age and time that you get sameness no matter who you are. It is not a problem you can fix."