Hirsute former Black Caps captain Daniel Vettori poses for a photo with some young fans at the Black Clash in Napier on Friday.

Forget the brilliant Jordie Barrett bowling and batting and the spectacular Andy Lee catch.

No, the real winner for the Black Clash between the rugby stars and cricket tragics at McLean Park in Napier on Friday was the Dumbledan beard.

Former Black Caps skipper Daniel Vettori showed he had lost none of his ability at the bowling crease, but there was a big difference in his appearance.

ANDREW CORNAGA/PHOTOSPORT Daniel Vettori, right, his beard and Nathan McCullum enjoy a drink at a pre-match gathering in Napier.

It was the beard. In his first-class playing days he often sported a trimmed beard, a sartorial work of art to complement his bowling.

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But it's grown. And grown. And grown.

The puns were flowing freely from the Alternative Commentary Collective, commentating on the match for the TVNZ broadcast.

ANDREW CORNAGA/PHOTOSPORT A more trimmed Vettori beard in his playing days, celebrating with Brendon McCullum after the Black Caps beat South Africa in the ICC Cricket World Cup semifinal in Auckland in 2015.

There were references to the exceptionally long-bearded title character in the 1970s TV series, The Life And Times Of Grizzly Adams.

"A bird could nest in there," one of the pundits suggested of the hirsute Vettori

And there was this beaut.

ANDREW CORNAGA/PHOTOSPORT Daniel Vettori bowling against Team Cricket on Friday.

"He started off as Harry Potter, and now he's turning into Dumbledore."

In his early career, Vettori, who played 113 tests for the Black Caps, often had to wear comments that he resembled the Harry Potter films' title character.

As for wizardry, Vettori, 40, showed he had all the old skills, outfoxing former All Blacks fullback and handy cricketer Israel Dagg, dismissing him for a duck with an arm ball

Then followed an on-field interview with Leigh Hart.

Hart: The beard is looking good. Do you think that it came into play with the wicket of Izzy Dagg?

Vettori: Ah it has been talked about a lot, so maybe people were staring at it. So yes, I think it played a big part in the wicket.

Hart: Rather than watch the ball out of the hand, he was captivated by the beard?

Vettori: I think captivated is the word. It's been a talking point so I'm glad I've done it.