FFS the guy gets paid a decent salary to play cricket. Part of the requirement of which is to be reasonably fit, you'd think. You could argue that he's whatever number he is on the NZC 1-20 pay scale in part because he was expected to be able to bowl, which he currently isn't fit enough to do, so even if he can bat he's still not living up to his end of the contract. Given the shape he was in in Australia, if it were just a normal employment situation, he'd have long since used up his warnings and meetings with HR and the like.
As others have said, by far the simplest thing to do is to simply put Vettori at 6. I'm not convinced about that whole strategy, but it's an easy way out of a tricky selectorial issue.
It's still disappointing that the line-ups above all include Guptill as opener. I know, I can't name a better alternative and no-one is going to have any form. But still, I'd like to express the likely NZ side going forward as McCullum, opener, Williamson, Taylor, Brownlie, Vettori, keeper, seam bowlers.
As others have said, by far the simplest thing to do is to simply put Vettori at 6. I'm not convinced about that whole strategy, but it's an easy way out of a tricky selectorial issue.
It's still disappointing that the line-ups above all include Guptill as opener. I know, I can't name a better alternative and no-one is going to have any form. But still, I'd like to express the likely NZ side going forward as McCullum, opener, Williamson, Taylor, Brownlie, Vettori, keeper, seam bowlers.
