Black Caps to rule on Vettori fitness this weekend
Thursday, 08 May 2008 15:51
New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori may not play in first Test
Injured New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori will find out this weekend if he will be fit to face England in the first Test, starting next Thursday.
The Black Caps skipper - one of the tourists' main threats with both bat and ball - has suffered an injury to the index finger on his bowling hand.
As a result of the problem, Vettori has been forced to sit out the warm-up match against a strong England Lions team, which begins at the Rose Bowl in Hampshire today.
"I'm having the stitches taken out on Saturday or Sunday and I'll know a little bit more then," Vettori said.
"I'm confident, but I've never dealt with this before and it's in the worst possible spot."
The injury came about when Vettori caught a ball thrown to him at the non-strikers end by wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum during last weekend's warm-up match.
And the ball hit his hand awkwardly, resulting in a deep cut on his left index finger at just the spot where he grips the ball when bowling.
"I've never seen it happen to anyone else in cricket - and when you think about the number of times you catch cricket balls, that's amazing," he said afterwards.
The first Test between England and New Zealand begins on Thursday May 15th at Lord's.