He’s regarded as cricket royalty and the king of spin, and now Daniel Vettori has been given one of his home city’s rarest awards.
Vettori has been made an honorary Ambassador of Hamilton and will receive an inscribed medallion at a ceremony in August.
The honorary title was established in 2013 and since then has been awarded to Sir David Moxon, Archbishop of Canterbury’s representative to the Holy See, and Welsh rugby coach Warren Gatland.
Hamilton Mayor Julie Hardaker said Vettori was one of the city’s most successful international athletes and was adored by cricket fans.
In 2011 he was made an officer of the Order of New Zealand Merit.
Vettori retired from international cricket at the end of the Cricket World Cup and took up a role as head coach for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.
He will receive the honorary ambassador title from Hamilton City Council when he returns from India.
Peter Roach, Northern Districts Cricket Association chief executive, said Vettori was respected around the world and took an active interest in Hamilton’s domestic cricket scene.
Vettori made his first-class cricket debut for Northern Districts in the 1996/97 season.
He became the youngest man to play test cricket for New Zealand when he took the field at Wellington’s Basin Reserve on February 6, 1997, as a fresh-faced 18-year-old.
"His cricket exploits are unsurpassed in New Zealand history and to have this type of cricket royalty come from your area I think is great. I think the city council has done a great thing and it’s a well-deserved honour," Roach said.
Despite his international success, Vettori was always willing to support the domestic cricket scene and rolled his arm over during a club cricket match only 18 months ago.
"I find him remarkably down-to-earth and he has a desire to make a difference at our local domestic level. He’s a great of the game but given any opportunity is always willing to put his hand up for us. He grew up in Hamilton and if you ask him he’s a Hamiltonian."
Vettori attended Marian Catholic School and St Paul’s Collegiate and in 2011 received an honorary sports masters degree from Wintec.
"He has carried himself so well over a great period of time and is a respected figure in world cricket. If you're in India, Dan Vettori can't walk down the street without being recognised by every soul walking down that street," Roach said.
