The honour of being the most capped Test cricketer from New Zealand is currently shared by Ross Taylor and Daniel Vettori. It’s a remarkable fact from a country where it’s often difficult to tell the difference between the pitch and the outfield on Day One of a Test match.

Vettori inspired a generation of youngsters to become spin bowling all-rounders, a generation that included a certain Mitchell Josef Santner, a product of the Northern Districts Cricket Association in New Zealand.