Wright rues NZ’s 1979 World Cup miss
Christchurch: Former New Zealand captain John Wright said on Monday that 1979 was the closest they got to a World Cup final having lost the semifinal to England only by nine runs. “New Zealand lost the semi-final to England by a very low margin — nine runs, at Old Trafford. Now that I look back at that game, it was perhaps the closest we ever got to the final,” Wright was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. He further reflected on his performance saying had he stayed back at the crease the outcome could have been different. “I got run out. My god, what a nightmare it was! I don’t like to remember that. I think I was looking for two and was sent back,” he said. “I’d got a decent score (69) and if I had stayed there, maybe we would have got past. We played the full 60 overs and nine runs was not much.” The 60-year-old also said watching the West Indies-England final made him realise how close they were to playing in the game. The West Indies’ premier batsman Vivian Richards and Collis King took the England bowling attack apart to help the Caribbean side to their second consecutive World Cup triumph. “I watched the final on television after I’d gone back to Derby, as Viv Richards and Collis King smashed the England batsmen. I remember thinking about how it should have been us in the final and then wishing that I could bat like Viv,” he said.
Vettori confident for World Cup
Wellington: Daniel Vettori, who played his 280th ODI on Sunday against Sri lanka to become New Zealand’s most capped player, on Monday said he was feeling confident and fit ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup that bowls off in Australia and New Zealand on February 14. The left-arm spinner passed former captain Stephen Fleming to become the most-capped ODI player for New Zealand. Fittingly, Vettori earned his first ODI cap against the same opposition in 1997, with figures of none for 21 from his two overs. Since then he has earned a reputation as one of classiest, wiliest ODI bowlers around, as a career economy rate of 4.11 testifies. His game also developed into a long-serving captain and batsman who has saved his side many a time, joining the exclusive 200 wicket and 2,000 ODI runs club in the process. “To play for such a long period of time and to put those milestones together (Dan recently became New Zealand’s most-capped Test player also) is pleasing, particularly as a spin bowler in New Zealand, where conditions aren’t always conducive to bowling spin because of the grounds and the nature of the wickets,” said Vettori.