17 Facts about Daniel Vettori: New Zealand’s great left-arm spinner

One of the finest spinners ever, Daniel Vettori was a very handy batsman too. He played 113 Tests 284 ODI’s and 34 T20Is before announcing the retirement from all forms of cricket in 2015. As a bowler had a remarkable record in modern day cricket which is heavily in favor of the batsmen. One of New Zealand’s all-time greats ‘Dan the Man’ remains one of the most respected cricketers in the world.

1. Birth:

Daniel Luca Vettori was born on 27^th January 1979 in Auckland, New Zealand. He is the first player of Italian descent to represent New Zealand. He has an Italian father and Kiwi mother.

2. Belongs to a sporting family:

Daniel Vettori’s first cousin, is David Hill, a rugby union player who played a Test for the famous All Blacks. In fact, his uncle Tony Hill and cousin Joseph Hill, both played First-Class cricket.

3. Playing both-handed:

Daniel Vettori could bat right, and left-handed, and could also bowl with both hands. This fact was confirmed by TV star Jeremy Wells, who attended school with Vettori and played with him for St Paul’s XI.

4. Preference for spectacles:

Vettori once confirmed to NZ Herald on why he prefers spectacles over contact lenses. “I’ve worn glasses since I was about three years old. I’m accustomed to them and they don’t bother me,” he said. Adding a bit of humour, he added, “If I take them off, people recognise me a little less.”

5. Nick Names:

Daniel Vettori was called “Harry Potter” by fans because of his floppy hair and spectacles. Since he made his debut so young, his team-mates then called him “The Child.”

6. Youngest to play for New Zealand:

Daniel Vettori made his First-Class debut at the age of 17 against England in 1997 and Nasser Hussain was his first wicket. Three weeks later, he was barely 18 when he made his Test debut. He became New Zealand’s youngest cricketer to play Tests and ODIs.

7. Youngest spinner to take 100 wickets:

Picks up 12 wickets against the mighty Australia at Eden Park in 2000 and in the process becomes the youngest spinner to claim 100 wickets in Tests. He was just 21 and reached his century of wickets when he bowled Damien Martyn for 36.

8. Most Test runs by a No. 8 batsman:

The 2227 runs he scored at No. 8 is the most by any batsman in that position in Test history. Overall he scored 4531 at an average of 30.01 from 174 innings that included 6 tons and 23 fifties. His career best was 140 in a losing cause against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 2009.

9. 300 wickets and 3000 runs in Tests:

Daniel Vettori is the eighth player in Test cricket history to 300 wickets and score 3000 runs. Overall he took 362 wickets from 113 Tests at an average of 34.36. His best spell in an innings was 7/87 in a losing cause against Australia in Auckland in 2000.

10. ODI stats:

He took 305 wickets from 295 matches at an average of 31.71 and scored 2253 runs 17.33. This includes 4 half centuries. His top score was 83 against Australia in Christchurch in 2005 in another losing cause. His best spell of 5/7 though came in a winning cause against Bangladesh in a Queenstown in 2007.

11. T20I stats:

He took 38 wickets from 34 matches at an average of 19.68 and an economy rate of 5.70. He scored 205 runs at an average of 12.81. His best spell of 4/20 was against India in Johannesburg in the 2007 WorldT20. The match was won by the Kiwis by 10 runs.

12. Most wickets by a left-arm spinner:

His 362 wickets from 113 matches is the most by a left-arm spinner in Test history, way ahead of England’s Derek Underwood 297 from 86 matches.

13. Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit:

Vettori was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours, for services to cricket.

14. Coaching

Daniel Vettori served as standby coach for a short while after Andy Moles was sacked. He was appointed as the national selector when he was the captain in 2009. After playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) since 2011, Vettori now serves them as their Head coach.

15. Team of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015:

He was instrumental in New Zealand’s success in the World Cup 2015. In a batsman dominated tournament, Vettori was the most successful spinner, picking up 15 wickets from nine games at an average of 20.5 and an economy rate of four. Vettori was named in ‘Team of ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.’

16. Captaincy:

Vettori was a well-respected leader in New Zealand cricket but his Test captaincy record was far from impressive. He led his country in 32 Tests winning just 6 and losing 16 matches. 5 off the 6 wins were against Bangladesh, a Team struggling to find their feet in Test cricket. His record as a captain in ODIs was far more impressive with a winning percentage of 50.00 from 82 matches. This included a semi-final appearance in the 2011 World Cup.

17. 2009 Champions Trophy:

He also led the team brilliantly in the 2009 Champions Trophy guiding them through to the finals. A hamstring injury ruled him out of the summit clash against the Aussies and it turned out to be a big blow as the Kiwis lost the match.