New Zealand send SOS to Daniel Vettori ahead of final Test against Pakistan
Tuesday 25 November 2014 07:47, UK
New Zealand have turned to former captain Daniel Vettori as they attempt to save their Test series against Pakistan.
The 35-year-old slow left-arm bowler has been called into the squad for the final match in Sharjah - two-and-a-half years since his last appearance in a Test.
Vettori was already in the United Arab Emirates with his country's 'A' team and has been summoned to the senior squad with the Sharjah pitch expected to favour spin bowling.
New Zealand trail 1-0 going into the third and final game, and coach Mike Hesson said: "From the first two Tests it's been pretty clear how important spin is in these conditions.
"We expect the pitch in Sharjah to be the slowest of all three wickets. Dan obviously has an incredible amount of experience and has shown how effective he can be in these sorts of conditions.
"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."
Vettori has 360 Test wickets and is second only to Richard Hadlee in New Zealand's all-time list, but he has recently focused on limited-overs cricket after injury problems.
