Daniel Vettori has ruled himself out of the forthcoming series against West Indies, stating that it was too early to guarantee his fitness given the months he had missed due to injury.
"International cricket, and in particular, Test cricket, places enormous demands on the body and I simply haven't played enough recently to be confident of meeting those demands," Vettori said, in a press release. "The short-term plan is to concentrate on my existing duties with Northern Districts and Brisbane, and re-evaluate my fitness in the New Year.
"What I can't afford to do is throw myself back into the international arena prematurely and re-injure myself," he said. "It wouldn't be any good for me; it wouldn't be any good for the team."
The left-arm spinner has been dogged by a chronic Achilles tendon condition and underwent surgery in London in June to prolong his career. He also declined a contract with New Zealand Cricket due to concerns over his fitness. Vettori made a return to competitive cricket with first-class matches in the Plunket Shield in November, bowling 49 overs for Northern Districts and finishing with a match haul of six wickets, including a five-for in the first innings. Since then, he has been playing for Northern Districts in the HRV Cup, New Zealand's domestic Twenty20 tournament.
Vettori last played a Test for New Zealand against West Indies in July 2012. He was ruled out of New Zealand's tour to South Africa, due to injuries, and also missed the home series against England. He was declared unfit on the eve of the second Test against England in Headingley in May, but went on to play three Champions Trophy matches in June, the only international games he played in 2013.
West Indies are scheduled to play three Tests, five ODIs and two T20s on their tour to New Zealand. The first Test begins on December 3 in Dunedin.
Vettori unavailable for West Indies series
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Vettori unavailable for West Indies series
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Vettori unavailable for West Indies series
