Not Just a Number

Black Caps cricket captain Daniel Vettori, 31, became the second player after Stephen Fleming to play 1 Tests for New Zealand when he took the field in the first Test against India in Ahmedabad earlier this month. On paper, the Auckland-born left-arm spinner has already played 1 Tests as he had turned out for the Word XI against Australia in 25. Vettori said the road till now has been satisfying and he is proud of the achievement, though he would like to bowl better in the longer version of the game. “It is a great honour for me and something I would really cherish all my life. For anyone to have such longevity is a great achievement. The fact that I have played well most all the time and that it is not just a number, gives me great satisfaction,” Vettori said ahead of day one of the Test. Vettori also needs 38 runs to become only the third all-rounder in Test history to score 4 runs and bag 3 test wickets, behind Kapil Dev and Ian Botham.