Vettori hurts right knee during New Zealand win

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Daniel Vettori had to be helped off the field after injuring his knee © AFP Enlarge

New Zealand's triumph over Pakistan might have come at considerable cost as they sweat on the fitness of their captain Daniel Vettori, who hurt his right knee during the victory. Vettori appeared seriously restricted in his movement after diving for an attempted catch at mid-on in the sixth over of Pakistan's innings, and two balls later he limped slowly from the field.

He struggled to walk around the boundary with the help of the support staff and had ice treatment in the rooms while the vice-captain Ross Taylor oversaw the 110-run win. A New Zealand spokesman said the extent of Vettori's injury would not be known until the team arrives in Mumbai ahead of their fifth group match, Sunday's clash with Canada.

"We'll just have to wait and see," Taylor said. "Obviously he's a key part of our team and we need him to go further in this competition. But he didn't bowl a ball today and we won, so we just have to give it a couple of days and see where he's at. Hopefully he's all right come two or three days' time."

Vettori is not only a key player due to his bowling on the spin-friendly surfaces of the subcontinent, but he is also a canny leader whose on-field nous would be missed if he is sidelined. If that is the case, New Zealand would look to Taylor, 27, to captain the side, as he has done in nine one-day internationals for three victories.

"I've captained the team in quite a few matches now," Taylor said. "We've got a lot of senior players in the team for me to look to, to get help and to bounce ideas off. We'll have to wait and see, but if it did come about it would be something that would be an honour to do. There's still a long way to go in this competition, but if that comes about then I'd grab it with both hands."