The straw that stirs the drink
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori proved to be the kingpin as his side won the first Brac Bank Test against Bangladesh at the Chittagong Divisional Stadium yesterday.
Vettori was the significant player behind his side's victory and was single-handedly responsible for keeping the Kiwis afloat in the face of a thorough testing from the Tigers.
He batted, bowled and led from the front, inspiring his teammates to come out of a sticky situation with a win -- all factors that lead him to being named the man-of-the-match.
On the first day of the match, Vettori scalped top-order batsmen Tamim Iqbal and skipper Mohammad Ashraful. Day Two saw him remove Mushfiqur Rahim, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Abdur Razzak to finish with a five-for in the first innings.
During their batting, he stood firm as wickets fell around him to score an unbeaten 55 and guide the tourists to a face-saving total of 171.
On Day Three, he took four more wickets, accounting for Tamim and Ashraful again and adding to it the prized scalp of Shakib Al Hasan and newcomer Nayeem Islam.
But that was still not the end of his accomplishments.
The bespectacled captain still found reserves of resilience as he struck a responsible 76, falling only when his team was all but assured of a win.
Much has been made of Shakib's brilliant all-around performance in this Test match, but if there was one that trumped even his, it was Vettori's.
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