With all the jubilation and relief New Zealand felt after the BLACKCAPS win in Hobart, there was one player who could be forgiven for feeling a touch frustrated - Daniel Vettori.
Vettori was ruled out of the Test on match day in a cruel twist of fate. His bowling may not have suited the seaming Hobart wicket, but his batting alone would have ensured his selection in the side. Such incredible quality has always been scarce, and is now almost unique in the present day.
True all-rounders are a rare breed in the modern game. Australia has Shane Watson, England has Stuart Broad, and South Africa possess the master in Jacques Kallis.
To find players of a similar standard to Vettori and Kallis requires a look through the archives.
During his Test career Sir Garfield Sobers scored 8032 runs and took 235 wickets for the West Indies, and was widely considered the best player of his era. Sir Richard Hadlee’s efforts with the ball - 431 Test wickets - are well known, but it’s often forgotten that he had two centuries and 15 half centuries to his name as well.
These players bring remarkable value to any team, but such gems seem to be disappearing from our game.
In recent years, New Zealand had an enviable supply of all-rounders. At the turn of the century Chris Harris, Chris Cairns, Dion Nash and more recently Jacob Oram, all played major roles in both batting and bowling for New Zealand. These players stood out not just for their bit-part performances, but were regularly relied upon to star with bat and ball. To have three or four players with that ability in the one team is indeed a rarity.
Wicket keeper – the new all-rounder
Why is it that all of a sudden we are losing the great multi-talented players from our game? New Zealand Director of Cricket and former Australian Coach John Buchanan believes teams today don't account for the physical requirements it takes to be both a batter and a bowler in modern cricket, but insists the void has been filled in other areas.
"It's a lack of understanding of how to prepare and maintain all-rounders these days with more cricket games. Wicket keepers have become the new all-rounders, allowing teams to pick specialist batsmen and bowlers (instead)."
It all rings true. Shane Watson has played only half the matches he could have had he been consistently fit.
The role of keepers has changed dramatically too. Sri Lankan wicket keeper Kumar Sangakkara has a Test average of 56. His predecessor, Romesh Kaluwitharana averaged just 26.
New Zealand's National Selection Manager Kim Littlejohn points out it's not necessarily a lack of all-rounders, but they are now just less recognisable.
"I think it's a case of it being harder to define or single out the so called genuine all-rounders, given most eight, nine and ten batters can now bat."
Vettori in elite
Vettori may have burst onto the international stage as a genius with the ball, but he has developed into a fine batsman and his record speaks for itself.
In making his first 1000 runs Vettori averaged 17.24, in his second 1000 he averaged 42.52.
He currently holds the most number of runs as a number eight batsman in history. He now regularly bats at seven or even as high as six and during his long career has more runs to his name than any other player in the team. No current member of the BLACKCAPS can rival his six centuries and 23 fifties either.
It makes for extraordinary reading, but just how special is Daniel Vettori?
If he manages to take another 55 Test wickets he will become just the second player (Kapil Dev being the first) in history to take 400 wickets and make 4000 runs.
That special.
