Greatest New Zealand Test XI of all time

Bowlers

Daniel Vettori

Daniel Vettori was one of the most underrated players of his time. A canny left-arm off-spinner who can outsmart the batsmen with his accuracy is one of the eight players to have taken more than 300 wickets and scored more than 3000 runs in Tests cricket.

Vettori who made his Test debut as an 18-year old in 1997 played for 17 years and has been one of the key figures in New Zealand cricket. He had the ability to bowl long spells and keep things quiet from his end (when he didn’t get wickets). Vettori finished his career in 2014 and ended as New Zealand’s second-highest wicket-taker of all time (with 361 wickets).

Shane Bond

Shane Bond’s career was plagued with numerous injuries and that was probably what stopped him from becoming one of the best fast bowlers of all time. He could bowl fast and instilled fear in a lot of batsmen. He could run in all day and bowl at high speeds even in his final spell of the day. He could hit the 150kmph mark consistently.

In his 8-year career, Bond played a mere 18 Test matches which underline the number of injuries he suffered throughout his career. In those 18 Tests, he picked up 87 wickets at an average of 22.09. His strike-rate of 38.7 is the best by a New Zealand bowler.

Chris Martin

Chris Martin was a constant member of New Zealand’s Test side in the first decade of the 21st century. With Shane Bond’s frequent injury problems, Martin led the Kiwi bowling attack. He was the workhorse of the bowling attack as he could just run in, bowl long spells and give nothing away.

Having made his debut in 2000, Martin played for almost 13 years. He played 71 Tests and has picked up 233 wickets which is the third-highest for any New Zealand bowler.Chris Martin was a constant member of New Zealand’s Test side in the first decade of the 21st century. With Shane Bond’s frequent injury problems, Martin led the Kiwi bowling attack. He was the workhorse of the bowling attack as he could just run in, bowl long spells and give nothing away.

Honourable Mentions – Danny Morrison, Ewen Chatfield