Thaindian News

Wellington, Dec 27 (ANI): Daniel Vettori is standing by his decision to step aside as captain of the New Zealand team after the 2011 World Cup in the Indian subcontinent.

Vettori is missing the three T20 internationals against Pakistan, to give his back some rest before the Test series, which starts in January.

With the upheaval of the last week around the New Zealand team, Vettori said he had not put much thought into the issue.

“I still stand by those words of finishing up after the World Cup,” he said of the quadrennial tournament being hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh from February 19 until early April.

“I understand things can change and there may be a chance for that, but at this point I’ll finish after the cup,” Stuff.co.nz quoted Vettori, as saying.

Both Vettori and stand-in skipper Ross Taylor praised the early work of new coach John Wright, who was handed the reins last Monday, replacing Mark Greatbatch.

“His real skills are getting around players and making them feel confident. After that many losses [11 straight ODI defeats] guys tend to question their game, but he’s a positive guy and that’ll rub off on the players,” Vettori said.

Taylor talked of Wright’s ethos of team first, above everything.

“That’s the first thing he has instilled in us. Every time he talks, it’s that if we play as a collective we give ourselves the best chance. He’s trying to get everyone to trust himself,” Taylor said. (ANI)