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Before the start of the first days play,who wouldve thought New Zealand would finish at 279 after being 61 for 6...

Before the start of the first days play,who wouldve thought New Zealand would finish at 279 after being 61 for 6? Who wouldve imagined Daniel Vettori would out-hit Jesse Ryder and the two centurions would compile 186 for the seventh wicket? But there are a few people around here who werent surprised by the Kiwi comeback,the resolve shown by Vettori and Ryder,or their uncharacteristic batting during the partnership.

Former New Zealand Test player Grant Bradburn owns a cricket equipment shop in the block that houses the dressing rooms and the main pavilion. The 42-year-old offie used to be Vettoris bowling partner at Northern Districts when the current Kiwi skipper was still in his teens. But since it is rush-hour at his shop,he followed his old team mates innings online,on a computer at the cash counter. This doesnt surprise me at all. He is a regular opener in the one-dayers and T20 for Northern Districts and a frontline batsman in the longer version, said Bradburn,as he pointed to the scoreboard that had just changed to Vettori 100 (139 balls,13×4,1×6).

Later in the day,speaking to Ryders fellow-opener at the Nai Nai Club,Roby Bird,who was glued to the TV in Wellington,it was clear that the gritty ton by the flashy opener wasnt due to an overnight transformation. In his first game for the club,I opened with him. It was a race between us to reach 50. He started slowly and was on 22 while I was on 46. Then he changed gears and got the 50 before me. The way he played today didnt surprise me at all. He can always switch gameplans, Bird said about Ryders 102 in over four hours.

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Though it was clear that both the tons were equally important for New Zealand,Vettori and Ryder showcased contrasting techniques. Ryder was more orthodox while Vettori played a few streaky,but effective,strokes. Both were wristy in their strokeplay but their execution differed. A case in point was the way they dealt with balls pitched wide outside off-stump. Ryder would lean over and punch them through the covers with a subtle use of his wrists; Vettoris shots in the same direction were more like a tennis pros double-handed top spin.

Hes got very good wrists and he uses them particularly when he is playing on the off-side. He can play in unusual areas, Bradburn said about Vettori,who still drops in at the shop when he is at Seddon Park. He is strong and is a good striker of the ball. Hes a hard man to defend against because he targets different areas. The number of singles the Kiwi skipper took,and frequency with which he found the gaps,substantiated these observations.

This inning is a turning point in Jesses life considering what has happened in the last 12 months, Bird said. I just spoke to him and he is over the moon. Today he showed that he is unfazed by anything.

While Bradburn didnt have too many hiccups as Vettori reached the three-figure score,Bird says he uttered What has he done! about six times when Ian OBrien stepped out against Harbhajan Singh,getting stumped and leaving Ryder on 98 with last-man Chris Martin. I was ready to put the money on Ryder remaining unbeaten on 98, said,aware of the No 11 batsmans well-documented batting frailty.

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But,who wouldve thought Martin would block five deliveries and Ryder would hit the first one of the next over for four?

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