Daniel Vettori has highlighted the return of key seam bowlers as a bonus but believes that the turning wickets in Guyana will have the spinners controlling the matches at the ICC World Twenty20.
When asked whether he was confident about Jacob Oram’s fitness, Vettori told reporters in Guyana, “I think that we are very confident. You can throw in Kyle Mills who has come back. He has been a very successful bowler for us. Tim Southee’s done a good job and Ian Butler’s come back from injury as well and at times has done a good job for us.
“Between the seam bowling department, I think they will be more than adequate but I think that spin bowling is going to play a big part, particularly in the slower grounds in the Caribbean. We are expecting myself and Nathan McCullum to play a big role.”
The BLACKCAPS have been grouped with 2009 finalists, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe in the initial phase of the tournament but play warm up matches against Ireland and hosts the West Indies at the same ground in Guyana.
Reflecting on the BLACKCAPS prospects at Providence Stadium, Vettori said, “We are hoping to come here and win. I think the guys who played in the 2007 World Cup have good memories from here and really enjoy the ground.
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“It’s a good cricket ground so I think that we are going to get some pretty good games early on.”
Most of the squad took part in a rigorous week-long training camp in Brisbane and the four IPL players have just joined the team. Although Vettori is pleased with their preparation, he knows that there is no substitute for match fitness. “We’re pretty confident that we’ve got the work under our belt to be ready for the first game against Sri Lanka.”
Speaking about the getting the right balance in the starting XI he added, “It’s hard to know because we haven’t played a game together for a while, so the two practise games are going to be crucial. It will be the same for every team. These practise games are going to be real insight to how the tournament is going to go.”
Warm up matches
27/04/2010 - BLACKCAPS vs Ireland (Warm up match)
Providence Stadium, Guyana
+1day NZ, 5:30am .
28/04/2010 BLACKCAPS vs West Indies (Warm up match)
Providence Stadium, Guyana
+1day NZ, 9:00am
