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Fast bowler Shane Bond took a wicket with the last ball of his Canterbury side's Twenty20 match yesterday, amid speculation his international cricket career is over.
Bond bowled Nick Horsley to give Canterbury victory over Northern Districts, as New Zealand Cricket played a straight bat to questions that it has declined his bid to play against England in their forthcoming New Zealand tour.
Reports yesterday said days of mediation between NZC and the New Zealand Cricket Players' Association have resulted in Bond being released from his national contract obligations and freed to play in the rebel India league for which he has signed up for three years.
Bond wanted to continue playing for the Black Caps on a per-game basis, but NZC has kept in line with an agreement with other test-playing boards not to pick players associated with the rebel league.
As a result, they will not consider Bond for either national or "A" team duty, and the Black Caps will be without their main strike-bowler when they line up against England, who arrive in New Zealand today for five one-day internationals followed by three tests.
NZC spokesman Steve Addison said a statement was likely to be released early this week about the situation. He would not comment about the claims.
Both parties have agreed to say nothing before the official statement.
Bond will be the seventh New Zealand player to be effectively banned because of his links to the rebels, but his absence will be the most telling for New Zealand, with most of the others retired from international play at the top level.
The 32-year-old has played in only 17 tests in an injury-plagued seven years but has still taken 79 wickets, while in one-dayers his 125 wickets came at an average of 19.32.
- NZPA
