Early overs have Vettori on song for big season

Cricketers around the rest of the country may have been lacking opportunities as a result of unseasonal weather but left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori has been in the thick of the action.

And that has to be good news for New Zealand.

The left-arm spinner has enjoyed the break since the end of the ICC Champions Trophy in September and is looking forward to all that is ahead of the TelstraClear Black Caps over the next three months.

Most importantly in the minds of many will be the fact that his back has stood up well and, apart from aches and pains that might normally be associated with bowling, he has been feeling fine.

He's played club cricket for Hamilton Star Varsity for the first time in two years, and found himself introducing himself to nearly all of his team-mates.

"It was great to get back and play with a lot of younger guys my own age. I hadn't played against a lot of them since age-group level."

It was even longer since he had last played in the Northern Districts Fergus Hickey competition.

That was 1999 but it has been a useful vehicle for him as he has bowled 40 overs in each of two games to get some useful overs under his belt.

"It's a reasonable level of cricket in those games and getting those overs in has given me more confidence," he said.

Apart from the fact that he needs to be ready for the Indian tourists in only two weeks time, there is also his desire to take an active part in next year's World Cup in South Africa.

Still relatively fresh on the international scene in 1999, he spent all that tournament outside the boundary.

"While it was great to see the guys do so well, it was hard sitting on the sidelines. I like to think I've established myself as a one-day player since then and South Africa is one I want to be part of," he said.

Vettori has played in South Africa before, on an Academy tour, but is not too sure how he will handle playing at altitude with the different effects the lighter air might have on his bowling.

"Nicky Boje has been doing all right over there, but I have noted that Murali [Muttiah Muralitharan] has not been quite so effective over there this year."

In many minds, Vettori, bowling well, is a key factor in any aspirations New Zealand may have of success in the World Cup. Certainly, he can expect plenty of bowling against the Indians given the lack of relative match play for several of the top bowlers in comparison to the time he has spent in the middle so far this summer.