Daniel Vettori
The BLACKCAPS captain talks about the build up, first-game nerves, the similarities with one-day cricket and the role of spin bowling in Twenty20 cricket.
On the side’s build-up for the tournament...
"It’s probably been as good as we could have hoped for. Apart from the loss to Australia everything has gone really well. The guys have had plenty of time outside which they wouldn’t have had if they’d stayed home in New Zealand, and the guys have a good feel for the team dynamics. So there’s a lot of confidence in the team but we know we have to back that up with some performances in these first two games."
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On first-game pressure...
"It’s probably the most nerve-wracking game we can have first-up. We know it’s a must-win and we know if we win it we’re through to the next round. Guys want to play and get that game out of the way. You don’t want to be the team that slips up to an associate team. We’ve seen it happen in World Cups in the past and it can derail the tournament. So first up we’ve got to be as professional as possible and win that game comfortably."
On the need for consistency...
"I think you can handle it if an individual takes the game away from you – it’s when your team doesn’t put a performance together that you need to ask questions … Probably we did that ion the first half of our innings against Australia. We were so good against India and we let it slip off a little bit. But it is difficult because guys play so aggressively that your risk of failure is higher than in the other format of the game."
On the switch from one-day to Twenty20 formats...
"You just take parts of the one day game out of it. It’s the first 10 overs and the last 10 overs of a one-day international. A lot of our guys have played so much international cricket now they understand the quick switch and I think they have a good feel for it."
On the spinner’s role in Twenty20...
"The thing with spin bowling is you know batsmen are going to be aggressive to you so you don’t have to second guess yourself. I’ve found throughout my career that guys are going to come down and try to put you out of the park and if you can nullify then you become a good spin bowler in this form of the game."
