Daniel Vettori
BLACKCAPS captain Daniel Vettori talks before the first ODI against Pakistan in the UAE.
On whether players coming back into the squad – Styris, Southee, Redmond, for example – add an extra dimension …
"I think they understand there’s an opportunity to get back to being a permanent member of the New Zealand team, and particularly the likes of Tim who’s been out of the side for a little while but I think everyone recognises he has wonderful ability and he’s bowled really well in training so far. By all accounts he bowled really well on the A tour so he’ll probably get an opportunity first up tomorrow to prove that form and we’re hoping he can cement his place because we saw when he first came into the New Zealand team what a really good and exciting bowler he can be. Particularly for him it’s going to be an exciting tour."
On the level of interest in this series following the coach’s resignation …
"We play so much cricket, this is just another series for us and another opportunity to win games. There’s been no real talk about the change in structure at all, or even about who’s going to be the next coach. It’s a pretty interesting place over here and the guys have enjoyed their time so far. I think guys are looking personally at the opportunity to cement places in the team and win games rather than anything else that’s going on."
On whether the coaching setup has changed without a head coach …
"I think it’s been misreported – I haven’t taken over as coach. We’ve still got Mark O’Donnell and Shane Jurgensen here and I just perform my usual role which has an input into training but not the overall."
On Brendon McCullum’s approach to opening the batting ...
"He has immense desire to succeed, and he’s a pretty ambitious guy, and that’s why he wants to open the batting so he can have a chance to win every game he plays in. This is a big series just like any other one so we’re hoping to see the best of Brendon in these upcoming games. He can silence all those questions by having a great tour here and getting back to the form where everyone’s spoken so highly of him as a one-day opener."
On whether to give the whole squad a run during the series or take a pragmatic view on selection …
"I suppose I put on my captain’s hat in that scenario and say that I want to win every game possible, and I think that’s the right way to go about things. Whatever team Mark and I believe can win that game on that day is the way I’d like to go. I understand that as a selector you sometimes look at development as well, but I think my captaincy hat over-rides that and we’re looking to win no matter what."
On the Pakistan side …
"They’re a pretty balanced side. They’re a lot like us in the mercurial nature of the way they play and their consistency. But you look at some of their stand-out players – this young guy Umar Akmal, who’s come in I think he’s going to be a really good player; Kamran Akmal his brother; obviously Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Shahid Afridi – two quality spinners in Afridi and Ajmal, and then a pretty impressive pace attack. The young left-armer Mohammad Aamer really impressed us in the one game we played against him – we almost see him as one of their key weapons."
On Younis Khan’s captaincy …
"He’s obviously led the team exceptionally well. They’ve won the World Twenty20 under his guidance, made a final in the same tournament and made the Champions Trophy semi-final – so he obviously has a way of getting them together and I suppose that’s always been a tough thing for a Pakistan team when they do have a number of changes of captaincy. So for him to stay in the job for an extended period of time speaks highly of the respect his team-mates have for him."
