| FIERY VETTORI FUELS KIWIS' COMEBACK |
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NEW ZEALAND's bright spark made it a dark
day
for England. Of Mediterranean complexion and
with a shock of coarse hair, Daniel Vettori
captured the initiative and the imagination
for
the tourists with belligerent batting and
tantalising bowling.
Of Milanese extraction, he belies his
unkempt
image, playing a heady game laced with
purpose
and passion. His quickfire 50, played predominantly off the
back foot, was the ostentatious half of
yesterday's contribution, converting a
below-par
batting position into one of moderate respectability.
More importantly, it gave a vital lift to
his
side who had dined the night before in the
doldrums. Last phases of innings are so influential in governing team
morale.
Vettori's bowling was more critical to
England's
latest demise, however. After a few overs
from
the quicker men with the new ball, the left-arm spinner shut down
the
Pavilion End for four hours, broken only by the tea interval.
Two for 44 from 31 overs might not look
much,
but this sustained spell gave Kiwi skipper
Stephen Fleming many more options, allowing him to rotate his
seamers downwind. Vettori turned the screw
while
Cairns, Nash and O'Connor drove the nails
in.
England obligingly lay down when asked.
A life in sleepy Hamilton has doused
Vettori's
innate Latin exuberance, though it surfaces
occasionally. His jig of delight having taken Stewart's wicket and
the howl of anguish when Ramprakash was
dropped
smacked of Alessandro Del Piero's passionate
striking for Juventus. In spite of Vettori's exemplary
patience, you sensed there was a more
expansive
soul trying to get out.
His considerable variations of pace, from a
looping 46mph floater to a swinging 60mph
dart,
and the frequent attempts at a classic pitch-leg hit-off
delivery, are all part of his irresistible
quest
for the perfect ball. He has not based
himself
on anyone, declaring: "People say I bowl a bit like Hedley
Howarth, but I never saw him play. Left-arm spinners aren't really the
thing in New Zealand and there's no one much to talk to."
He is self-made, though he did concede that
his
home pitch in Hamilton had a similar spongy
bounce to the Oval, and that he was fresher than most because
he hadn't played in the World Cup. He is
certainly a wonderful asset whose youth
masks an
excellent comprehension of the game.
This Test,like several others in the last 12
months, is heading for an early weekend
finish.
Maybe Channel 4 should change their mantra to "Cricket just
got shorter".
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