Daniel Vettori to make surprise return to Test cricket

Daniel Vettori in a Test match in 2012 against South Africa

Veteran Kiwi spinner and former captain, Daniel Vettori, is set to play his first Test match in more than two years, after joining the Black Caps squad in Sharjah, for the final match in the three-match series against Pakistan.

Vettori was already in the United Arab Emirates with the New Zealand A team, but trained on Monday with the Black Caps ahead of Wednesday's Test. Pakistan currently lead the series 1-0.

The 35-year-old bespectacled left-arm spinner has played 112 Tests and taken 360 wickets for New Zealand since making his debut as an 18-year-old in February 1997. He is also the youngest player to have represented New Zealand in Test cricket, having made his debut at the age of 18.

If he does make it to the playing eleven in the third Test, he will edge ahead of Stephen Fleming as the country's most-capped Test cricketer, adding to the list of records the guileful bowler and national legend already holds.

His last Test match was the nine-wicket loss to the West Indies in July 2012 two years ago. His current engagements include being the head coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.

Spin very important in Sharjah

Black Caps coach Mike Hesson says that if Vettori does play, it will most possibly be as part of a spin trio with incumbents Ish Sodhi and Mark Craig. With the workload being shared between three spinners, the major concern about Vettori – that of his ability to endure the five-day-long format – is also somewhat allayed.

"From the first two Tests, it's been pretty clear how important spin is in these conditions and we expect the pitch in Sharjah to be the slowest of all three wickets," Hesson said.

"The possibility of having three bowlers who can exploit those conditions is an exciting option for us to have.

"Dan obviously has an incredible amount of experience and has shown how effective he can be in these sorts of conditions. It doesn't mean that Dan will play in Tests for us in the future, but it's a great opportunity to use him in this one-off unique situation."