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Daniel Vettori, the former New Zealand captain, and Jeetan Patel
have apologised for their conduct after a night out in Queenstown that
left Patel unable to take the field for New Zealand XI during the tour match
against England. While neither spinner is currently involved with the
international side, confirmation of another drinking incident among its
players led New Zealand Cricket to release a statement calling their
behaviour "completely unacceptable".
Patel was a late call-up for the New Zealand XI, after Ish Sodhi's
withdrawal, and conceded 122 runs from his 21 overs in the match without
taking a wicket. He missed the second day's play, reported at the time
as due to his feeling unwell, but it has since been revealed that Patel
suffered mild concussion after an alleged altercation with a bouncer
outside a bar the night before.
NZC said it was "deeply disappointed" with the pair. The news comes after Doug Bracewell was ruled out
of the first Test with a cut foot sustained following a party at his
house. Bracewell was hurt while cleaning up, although he also apologised
for the incident and was "reminded of his responsibilities".
"New Zealand Cricket understands that Jeetan Patel was refused entry to a bar in Queenstown," Fairfax Media
reported on Wednesday. "He subsequently fell and hit his head. Patel
returned to the team hotel, felt unwell and took himself to A and E.
"Team management has spoken strongly to Patel and Vettori, telling them
that their behaviour was completely unacceptable. Both players
apologised to team management at the time."
Vettori has not played any cricket since the World Twenty20 and was in
Queenstown to work with the New Zealand medical staff as he continues
his recovery from an Achilles injury.
He said: "My behaviour was completely unprofessional in going out and I
should have spent time with Jeetan in another way. I would like to
apologise to the NZ Cricket medical team who I was there to work with
and to anyone else who is disappointed in my behaviour."
Patel returned to the Test side in Vettori's enforced absence after a
strong English season with Warwickshire, where he helped them to the
County Championship. He took 11 wickets in four Tests against India and
Sri Lanka but was dropped following the tour of South Africa, to be
replaced by the uncapped Bruce Martin. Patel, who is not centrally
contracted, is understood to have been struggling since the death of his
mother in January.
"I am sorry for my behaviour that evening and I accept that it was
totally inappropriate for me to be out drinking during a match where I
was representing my country," Patel said.
Rumours about Patel surfaced in the aftermath of Bracewell suffering his
self-inflicted injury, although NZC initially refused to comment on the
matter. In the build-up to the first Test, the New Zealand coach, Mike
Hesson, deflected questions about an alleged drinking culture in the
set-up.
"We've got really good standards in terms of the expectations we have on
our players. They are also human and also spend a lot of time away from
the group," Hesson said at the time. "The expectation is that what they
do certainly doesn't conflict or affect their preparation and we're
pretty strong on that."
Last year, Bracewell and Jesse Ryder were dropped from the ODI squad after breaking team protocol
banning the consumption of alcohol. Ryder, who had a history of
drink-related indiscretions, has not played for New Zealand since,
having embarked on a self-imposed sabbatical from international cricket.
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
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