New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori holds senior players responsible for series whitewash defeat in India
Captain of the New Zealand cricket team, Daniel Vettori, still sore from a 5-0 hammering at the hands of a new-look Indian side, has said that senior Kiwi players, including himself, would have to take the blame
for their teams’ humiliation in India.
Speaking to a local television news channel upon returning to his home country, the dejected skipper said, "It's about players standing up and performing. If we look at the reasons for the losses being because
of selection or management structure we are absolving the players and myself included - so the players need to stand up."
The left-arm spinner – who, besides being captain of the team, is also a national selector and a leading all-rounder – shot down suggestions that the team was being negatively affected by his multiple roles. He
said that his teammates are “comfortable” with his multiple roles, but he did concede that the team’s losing streak may cause fans to run out of patience with him – the Black Caps have now lost 11 ODIS in a row, and the series defeat in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 was their second
ODI whitewash defeat in two months.
"Yeah, of course, I don't blame them. This team is hurting itself. It's a miserable time for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 cricket," Vettori said.
The Kiwis’ losing streak started back in August during their tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 to play a tri-nation series that featured India as well. The rain-hit series saw the Kiwis winning their opening match with a huge
margin – and then losing their next two matches. Next, they embarked on their tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747, and were surprisingly clobbered in a 4-0 whitewash. (One match in the ODI series was cancelled due to rain.) The tour of India, the final part of the Kiwis’ subcontinent
acclimatization plan, was their next failure, during which they lost both the Test and ODI series.
Vettori, who will be rested during New Zealand’s domestic HRV Twenty20 Cup to nurse his sore back, said that the Kiwis needed to make it up to their fans as soon as possible.
“The only reason you play the game is to win and the only reason a lot of New Zealanders watch us play is to see us win,” said the New Zealand captain. “So we have to give that to them as soon as possible or otherwise
it's going to be really upsetting to a lot of people," he added.
The next series the Kiwis are scheduled to play is an at-home series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Auckland-c766 on December 26.
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