KEY POINTS:
An announcement on when New Zealand's Indian Premier League (IPL)-aligned contingent will join next month's tour of England is expected after the third test which starts in Napier tomorrow.
Captain Daniel Vettori today said the status of himself, vice-captain Brendon McCullum and allrounder Jacob Oram should be apparent soon after the test at McLean Park ends on or before next Wednesday.
Speculation about when the trio will join the tour has been rife since they signed lucrative three-year deals with the International Cricket Council (ICC)-endorsed competition last month.
Ross Taylor and Kyle Mills were also picked up in the second player auction in Mumbai last week.
The inaugural IPL starts on April 18, nine days before New Zealand open their two-month tour with a festival game in Arundel, and runs until the first week of June.
Given the IPL pays on a pro-rata basis New Zealand's players want to play as many matches as possible for their franchises.
They are destined to take a significant financial hit this season but the IPL does not clash with New Zealand's schedule over the next two years.
Vettori has previously touted May 5 as a reasonable date to arrive in England, 10 days before the first test at Lord's.
That would give the late arrivals a four-day game against England A as their only preparation because they will miss first-class matches against Kent and Essex.
An announcement had originally been expected before the third test starts but Vettori said it would now be next week.
Meanwhile, Oram and Mills could be in danger of missing the IPL after injury ruled them out the third test.
Fast bowler Mills pulled out yesterday with a tear to his left calf muscle while Oram withdrew today with a hip problem prompted by a bowling workload that amounted to 74 overs during the first two tests.
Vettori said the pair might now miss the IPL because the priority was to be fit for an arduous tour of England which features three tests, five one-dayers plus Twenty20 and tour matches.
"We'll have to see how they are in two weeks' time," Vettori said.
"If they're fit no problems, if they're not then the New Zealand team is the priority. We have to make sure they're fit for the England tour."
- NZPA
