Vettori set for shock Test return

In a surprise move, New Zealand have announced that left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori has been added to the squad for the third Test against Pakistan in Sharjah. Vettori, 35, hasn't played a Test since July 2012 and, after suffering a series of injuries in recent years, had questioned whether he had the fitness necessary to last a five-day game.

New Zealand fielded the inexperienced spin pair of Ish Sodhi and Mark Craig in the first two Tests, and are now likely to go in with a spin trio for the Sharjah Test. That would present an unheard-of bowling combination for New Zealand, a side that usually banks heavily on its quick bowlers.

"From the first two Tests it's been pretty clear how important spin is in these conditions and we expect the pitch in Sharjah to be the slowest of all three wickets," New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said. "The possibility of having three bowlers who can exploit those conditions is an exciting option for us to have."

Vettori was in the UAE with the New Zealand A side, and trained with the Test squad on Monday. If he is picked, he will move past Stephen Fleming to become New Zealand's most experienced Test player. The call-up comes even though he hasn't played any first-class cricket in 2014, and has spoken about focusing on the limited-overs formats as he felt Tests would put too much of a strain on his body.

"Dan obviously has an incredible amount of experience and has shown how effective he can be in these sorts of conditions," Hesson said. "It doesn't mean that Dan will play in Tests for us in the future, but it's a great opportunity to use him in this one-off unique situation."

Worries over whether Vettori can withstand the workload of Tests may also have been lessened by the presence of two other specialist spinners to share the overs. New Zealand also need to be aggressive in the final Test as they are trailing 1-0 in the series.

Sodhi and Craig have taken eight wickets at 90.13 in the first two Tests compared to the 24 at 32.09 managed by Pakistan's spin pair of Yasir Shah and Zulfiqar Babar. Hesson, though, defended his tweakers.

"Our spinners aren't used to bowling on conditions where footholes play such a part. Pakistan spinners beat us off the wicket and at home traditionally we try and beat guys in the air," he said. "When you have footholes to hit, it's very hard to change the method that you've trained your whole life. I thought the way Ish and Mark have adapted over the last couple of Tests is pleasing but they are still striving for consistency of pace as well."