AFTER pulling the plug on his 18-year international career recently, Daniel Vettori is aiming to exceed expectations for the Jamaica Tallawahs in this year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Twenty20 tournament.

The New Zealand stalwart, who made a steady comeback in 2012, threw in the towel on his international career, following his team’s loss to Australia in the ICC Cricket World Cup final early this year.

The slow left-arm orthodox bowler who used his guile and mastery of dip, bounce and turn to deceive batsmen for nearly two decades, will once again exploit his prowess for the Jamaican franchise in the June 20 to July 26 tournament.

His subtle variations in bounce and spin saw him bagging eight wickets in 11 innings at an economy rate of 5.65, with his best being 3-13 against the Antigua Hawksbill last year.

At his peak, Vettori was also a valuable lower-order batsman, and despite hardly being called on to do much with the bat last year, he has prepared himself to play a major role when needed.

“I was reasonably happy with my performance last year; I think that every bowler has a big part to play and I think that is the reason why they want me back this year,” he told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview from his home in Auckland, New Zealand.

“I am in pretty good condition coming off the World Cup which is a little while ago, but I have been heavily into the game and I have been bowling as well. So I am just looking forward to getting over there (in the Caribbean) and hopefully do well.

“I think there is one goal the team wants to achieve; there are high expectations set by Chris (Gayle) and the management and I know there is a real desire for the Jamaican franchise. So I am coming with high expectations, as well, because the team is pretty excited about this year,” he continued.

Vettori stated that former Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene is an excellent addition, as his experience and talent will be a major asset in the team’s title hunt.

“I think he (Mahela) has performed all around the world for a long time, and the conditions in the Caribbean at times are good for batters and he has had a lot of success in those conditions. So we look forward to him contributing on the field mainly, but I know his experience will help a lot off the field too,” he noted.

The 36-year-old Vettori is now plying his trade as coach of Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Brisbane Heats in the Australian Big Bash Twenty20 tournament.

And having played in multiple tournaments and with his vast knowledge of the game, Vettori applauded the expert organisation and competitiveness of the CPL.

“It has been a lot of fun…. it is competitive cricket and it is a real challenge. So I think all players around the world want to get involved in it, they want to be a part of it and I say kudos to the way it has been run and also the standard of it,” he added.

Reflecting on the team’s performance last year, Vettori expressed slight disappointment about not winning the title last year based on how well

the team started.

Tallawahs won six

of their

nine group matches, including three home games and led the tournament up to the last two group games.

They suffered a disappointing 10-wicket defeat at the hands of the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the play-offs, the team they defeated in the final to win the inaugural season in 2013.

And despite being weary of the said opponents, Vettori is confident that the Tallawahs can reclaim the title.

“There are high expectations and we think with the improvement to make to the team and with the options that we have, the team can go further.

“I think Guyana is always a real challenge and especially in their conditions; Trinidad & Tobago Red Steels will be exceptional again; and Barbados, the defending champions, will have something to hold on to. So you go through the list and you have to think about the way that they are going to be positive about their chance to win this tournament, and we are no different,” Vettori declared.

The Jamaica Tallawahs will start their campaign against champions Barbados on June 23 at Kensington Oval. They will then come to Sabina Park where they will contest four day/night games July 7-12.

“Hopefully the energy will be the same as last year; we won our three games at home and the crowd was really behind us. The crowd gets pretty crazy when the local players do exceptionally well and that is what we hope to see this year, but we have to perform and get them into it,” Vettori said.