Key player Vettori on verge of milestone

The headliners in New Zealand's bowling attack in this World Cup have been Tim Southee and Trent Boult. And justifiably so. But there has been a third crucial member too: Daniel Vettori has eight wickets in four matches allied with an economy rate of 3.33, the best of anyone to have sent down more than five overs in the tournament.

Vettori's thriftiness has been a hallmark of his career and stands out across eras. There are few contemporary bowlers with such a low economy across a vast number of innings: Saeed Ajmal is nearby, as is Mohammad Hafeez and Shakib Al Hasan, among those who have bowled in at least 100 innings. Others whose careers have crossed with Vettori are long retired.

It makes his tournament figures more remarkable, even accounting for the lower scores in New Zealand compared to the plunder in Australia. The pressure Vettori applied played a key role in all of New Zealand's games, ensuring no let up after the early sorties by Southee and Boult.

In the opening contest against Sri Lanka in Christchurch, which now feels a long time ago, he collected 2 for 34 - Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mahela Jayawardene were his scalps. Scotland were less of a challenge, but he nipped in with 3 for 24, and against England he began their dramatic slump by enticing Eoin Morgan to loft into the deep.

However, Vettori's stand-out performance was last weekend in the cauldron of Eden Park, where he bowled his ten overs straight through to quiet Australia's flying start and help build the pressure for Boult's multiple incisions. He kept David Warner on a tight leash, lured Shane Watson into finding deep square-leg - and what an impact that dismissal has had on Watson - then nicked the edge of Steve Smith.

Smith was Vettori's 298th one-day international scalp - 290 for New Zealand and eight for World XI teams in 2005 - and he has every chance of adding two more against Afghanistan to become the 12th bowler to reach 300. He has been well clear among New Zealand bowlers for some time, with Kyle Mills next on 240 wickets. It will be a significant milestone for a player whose career was in jeopardy as he battled his serious Achilles injury.

There is bigger glory up for grabs in the next few weeks than personal landmarks and Vettori's long fight to prove himself ready for this tournament was arguably his greatest success. However, while he maintained the team-first approach that has been New Zealand's mantra, he afforded himself momentary satisfaction.

"I suppose for a long time the Test records were really important to me and in some ways one-day cricket was put a little to background. I've come into the tournament with a similar view," Vettori said. "It's been about how we are doing as a side and because it's been going so well and I've been able to contribute I haven't really thought about it, but it will be a lovely thing to achieve."

When an international career spans 18 years it comes with the territory to take things in your stride but even Vettori talked of the "deafening" experience of playing in Wellington and Auckland as "very special." He is more than happy, though, for those cheers to be generated largely by the feats of his bowling colleagues. It is not only the headline-grabbing wicket hauls that mean a bowler is doing his job.

"It's about knowing that my role is to be a complementary piece to our attacking bowlers and to be able to do that with Trent, the way he bowled against Australia, and for me to tie up the runs it was a really good combination. That's the most satisfying thing," he said. "So if I can be as economical as possible it allows Trent, Tim, Mitch, Adam, Kyle, whoever plays, to attack for those wickets. That's how Brendon likes to captain."

Vettori listed all five frontline quicks available in the New Zealand squad though only three have played so far. Mitchell McClenaghan and Kyle Mills are among four players who have not been required and there is a balancing act to be struck by Mike Hesson and Brendon McCullum against Afghanistan, with New Zealand having had a week of downtime since facing Australia. Ensure all the players have had a match before the quarter-final by breaking up a winning team, or keep the XI together and hope nobody pulls up lame before Wellington?

"There's a bit of desperation to get out there and play," Vettori said. "It's been a long time between games and not something we are used - we often play every couple of days so once a week is a bit of a challenge."

When it is going as well as it is for Vettori right now, and he continues to defy a body that threatened to make this tournament a step too far, it is easy to understand why having a match off is the last thing he would want to consider.