All-rounder Jacob Oram has been ruled out of the Black Caps' upcoming two-test cricket tour of Australia.
His back has not fully recovered from an injury in Bangladesh, which saw him return home early after the first test.
A MRI scan last week cleared Oram of serious injurybut stiffness and pain in the left side of his back has meant he has been unable to resume full gym work.
It was planned to have him start bowling again in about 10 days and he was expected to be fully fit for the West Indies tour of New Zealand, beginning in mid-December.
Oram said caution had dictated his approach to returning to international cricket.
"We could have pushed hard for the Australian tour, we could have tested it, trialled it, maybe even gone and had a fitness test to see if I could have made it," Oram told RadioSport today.
"But the worrying thing was that it isn't 100 per cent at the moment, and if we made it even worse then it meant the West Indies series was probably in jeopardy."
Oram said he had thought about giving away bowling and concentrating on his batting, particularly with an eye on the 2011 World Cup.
"I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about that and even talked to some people about it," Oram said.
"If I want longevity in the game, I don't think I can go along doing what I'm doing now and hope to play for another four or five or six years.
"I just can't see that happening."
Meanwhile, fast bowler Michael Mason is to have a hernia operation on Friday, which will keep him out of cricket for three weeks.
