Against England, New Zealand were again having to fight to stay in the match when Vettori brought himself on. His fifth ball broke an opening stand of 62 between Darren Maddy and Vikram Solanki and he also crucially out-thought Kevin Pietersen who was threatening to launch an England onslaught. Further evidence that there is plenty of scope for bowlers to be match-winners in Twenty20.
What makes Vettori's performance more impressive is the fact that he also bears the pressure of captaincy, which in Twenty20 can be an unforgiving experience. "It is not easy ... because you don't know what you will run into," he said. "You might have the best of plans but they may all have to be discarded at the spur of the moment."
Captaincy will now be a full-time job for Vettori. It was always expected that he would replace Stephen Fleming, who stood down after the World Cup, in ODIs, but the Test job also came his way shortly before the World Twenty20 started. Although Vettori has previously led New Zealand as a stand-in for Fleming, this is the start of his first long-term stint. Having to find his feet in Twenty20 is a daunting start, but it will stand him in good stead.
Now all the decisions rest on Vettori's shoulders and regardless of how he views Twenty20 he approaches it with a professionalism that drives a desire for results. When Ross Taylor spilled Owais Shah during the Super Eights clash, the match was on a knife edge. Vettori knew it and flung his cap to the ground in frustration. He then took it upon himself to correct the mistake with a sharp piece of work to run out Shah next ball.
It is early days for Vettori, but the signs are that the pressure of captaincy doesn't adversely affect his own game. From a personal point of view he will want to prove himself as a leader in the more traditional forms, but the success of Twenty20 means he'll be leading New Zealand in plenty more of these matches in the years to come. If he actually enjoyed it he would be really dangerous.