by Christine Davey
Thursday, March 14, 2002

One of the more bizarre aspects of the limited-overs game is the song list. For those unfamiliar with this concept, the players nominate tunes which are blasted through loud speakers while the batsman strolls to the crease or the bowler marks his run-up.

Say what you like about the effectiveness of this gimmick, but the choices make for an intriguing sociological study. Ricky Ponting is a Robbie Williams fan, opting for 'Let Me Entertain You'. South Africa's Herschelle Gibbs is inspired by Queen's 'We Will Rock You'.

And then there's Daniel Vettori. No Robbie or Freddy for this boy from the land of the long white cloud. Daniel prefers to do his adrenalin pumping to the esoteric warbles of Her Royal Kyliness and 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head'.

Is this skinny kid from Auckland shaking the image of the blokey cricketer? Are the days gone when the sign of true cricketing greatness was setting beer-drinking records on a long haul flight? Thanks to Daniel Vettori it seems we're close to adding the word SNAC to the sporting glossary. That's Sensitive New Age Cricketer, for the uninitiated.

Let's examine the evidence. He wears glasses. He boasts an exotic Italian heritage. He's been called the Kiwi Clark Kent and Australia's Herald Sun newspaper dubbed him the grown-up Harry Potter. He is also arguably one of the best left-arm spinners in the business. He was the second-youngest player from any country to take 100 Test wickets and his impressive record against all comers this season is testament to his talent.

Perhaps the highest accolade, however, is that mums love him. According to mine, he's the type of man she wishes her daughters would invite to Sunday dinner. "With all the bad sportsmanship in the game, Daniel is a breath of fresh air," she says. "It's those glasses. They make him look dependable."

In January, when Vettori became concussed after smashing into the boundary boards at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, I half expected my mother to arrive at the scene with bandages for her wounded warrior.

She would have had to queue behind the teenagers. They've created fan clubs worldwide in his honour and at home his status is more rock star than sportsman. "There are groupies in New Zealand," he said in an interview with the Angelfire Web site. "I've learned to cope with it."

During the summer, even the well-watered fans in the MCG's Great Southern Stand were singing his praises with a stirring rendition of "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie that's Vettori."

It may be some time before other cricketers follow him into the SNAC hall of fame. It's difficult to imagine Warnie whacking on a pair of bifocals, or Brett Lee opting for Kylie, Britney, or even Whitney as his motivational muse. Meanwhile Daniel Vettori, according to my mother at least, is the perfect example of the new millennium man and she's preparing the Sunday roast as we speak.

Christine Davey is a freelance cricket writer from Winchelsea, Victoria. She intends retiring to the West Indies to watch cricket and snooze in the sun. Until that plan is financially possible, she writes sports stories and arts reviews.

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