Daniel Vettori’s 3 best performances in ODI Cricket

Whenever there is a discussion around the great all-rounders of the game, Daniel Vettori’s name will always feature in that discussion. The former New Zealand captain was one of the most impactful all-rounders, not just in red-ball cricket but in limited-overs formats as well. In this article, we will take a look at the 3 best performances of Daniel Vettori in ODI cricket.

5/7 vs Bangladesh, 2007

The best bowling performance in Daniel Vettori’s ODI career came against Bangladesh. In the 3rd match of the ODI series between New Zealand and Bangladesh at Queenstown, Vettori forced the Bangladesh batting unit to surrender in the first innings. New Zealand bowled Bangladesh out for 93 runs in the first innings courtesy of a 5-wicket haul from Daniel Vettori. 

The left-arm orthodox bowled 6 overs in his spell and dismissed five Bangladesh batters which harmed the prospects of the visiting side. New Zealand eventually won the match by 10 wickets and Vettori was awarded the player of the match for his bowling performance. 

5/30 vs West Indies, 2004

In the final of the 2004 NatWest Series against West Indies, Vettori led his team to a famous victory. Batting first the Kiwis posted 266 runs in the first innings which was a challenging target for the West Indies. In the second innings, Vettori turned up with a 5-wicket haul to decimate the West Indies batting order. The chasing side could only manage to score 159 runs and eventually lost the match by 107 runs. 

83 vs Australia, 2005

On numerous occasions, Daniel Vettori rescued his team with batting skills and this is one of those performances where he showed resilience with the bat. New Zealand was chasing 315 runs in an ODI game against Australia but the Aussies reduced New Zealand to 73/6 which almost destroyed the hopes of winning the game. 

However, Vettori did not surrender before fighting and scored a half-century. He could not carry the team to the finishing line but once again displayed why he was so valued in the Kiwi team.