New Zealand strengthened their spin attack by including veteran left-armer Daniel Vettori in their squad for the third and final Test match against Pakistan starting today
Sharjah: New Zealand strengthened their spin attack by including veteran left-armer Daniel Vettori in their squad for the third and final Test match against Pakistan in Sharjah starting on Wednesday.
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The inclusion will boost New Zealand's chances of levelling the series which they trail 1-0. "The 35-year-old is already in the United Arab Emirates with the New Zealand 'A' team and trained with the Test squad ahead of the Test on Wednesday," said a New Zealand Cricket release.
Daniel Vettori during the practice session. Pic/ PTI
New Zealand lost the first Test in Abu Dhabi by 248 runs while the second Test ended in a draw in Dubai. Vettori, who has played 112 tests with 360 wickets, last played for the Test side in 2012 against the West Indies.
He staged a comeback from various injuries by playing a one-day series against South Africa in New Zealand last month -- his first international matches since June 2013.
New Zealand coach Mike Hesson said if Vettori does play, it's possible it will be in tandem with the current spin duo of Ish Sodhi and Mark Craig.
"From the first two Tests it's been pretty clear how important spin is in these conditions and we expect the pitch in Sharjah to be the slowest of all three wickets. The possibility of having three bowlers who can exploit those conditions is an exciting option for us to have," said Hesson.
"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."
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