Vettori was the youngest male player to have represented New Zealand in Test cricket, making his debut in February 1997 at the age of 18.

[a] A bowling all-rounder, Vettori was the eighth player in Test cricket history to take 300 wickets and score 3,000 runs.

A slow left-arm orthodox spin bowler, Vettori was known for his accuracy, flight and guile rather than prodigious turn.

He had shouted from the balcony at The Oval following a controversial run out and later refused to shake hands with the England team after the match.

[9] As of August 2022 his 362 Test wickets lies second only to Hadlee[10] and he is New Zealand's leading One Day International wicket-taker with 297 dismissals for the national side.

[11] Vettori was the first left-arm spin bowler to take more than 300 wickets in both Test matches and One Day Internationals.

His highest Test score of 140 came against Sri Lanka at Singhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground, Colombo in August 2009.

[43] In August 2021, Vettori was appointed as the head coach of the Caribbean Premier League franchise Barbados Royals.

[50] Vettori was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2011 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services to cricket.