New Zealand spinner Dan Vettori said on Tuesday he will miss the upcoming series against the West Indies because his injured ankle is not ready for the rigours of international cricket.
Vettori had surgery on a recurring Achilles tendon problem in June and returned to domestic cricket earlier this month. But the 34-year-old said he did not want to attempt a premature international return and would sit out the West Indies tour, which opens with a warm-up match against a New Zealand XI on Wednesday. ‘International cricket, and in particular Test cricket, places enormous demands on the body and I simply haven’t played enough recently to be confident of meeting those demands,’ he said.
He said he would reassess his condition in the New Year, which could make him available for limited overs matches against the West Indies. ‘What I can’t afford to do is throw myself back into the international arena and re-injure myself,’ he said.
Vettori had surgery on a recurring Achilles tendon problem in June and returned to domestic cricket earlier this month. But the 34-year-old said he did not want to attempt a premature international return and would sit out the West Indies tour, which opens with a warm-up match against a New Zealand XI on Wednesday. ‘International cricket, and in particular Test cricket, places enormous demands on the body and I simply haven’t played enough recently to be confident of meeting those demands,’ he said.
He said he would reassess his condition in the New Year, which could make him available for limited overs matches against the West Indies. ‘What I can’t afford to do is throw myself back into the international arena and re-injure myself,’ he said.