Cricket: Cricketers in serious trouble if there are more injuries

By RICHARD BOOCK

New Zealand are limping towards their ICC Knockout Trophy quarter-final in Kenya with high hopes of fielding their strongest possible line-up, although how the walking wounded will fare for the rest of the tour is anyone's guess.

The tourists have arrived in Kenya for the second-biggest one-day tournament in world cricket with a squad carrying more injuries than a Red Cross outpost, but with a confidence that everyone will be primed and ready for the match against Zimbabwe on Monday night.

That means left-armer Geoff Allott, allrounder Chris Cairns and wicketkeeper Chris Nevin will probably join offspinner Paul Wiseman in returning to the side who lost the last match of the series in Zimbabwe, possibly at the expense of Daryl Tuffey, Glen Sulzberger and Adam Parore.

However, the nagging fear, as coach David Trist hinted at this week, is that just one more injury could render this oddly balanced New Zealand squad helpless for whatever games they face in Nairobi, as well as the six one-day internationals in South Africa

Having flown in the face of all logic when choosing two glovemen in the 14-strong squad, the selectors have effectively cut their options from the start down to 13, of whom Allott is apparently a day-to-day proposition, Cairns an unknown quantity, and Nevin still questionable.

Whatever happens on that front, it seems likely that sanity will at least prevail in regard to Wiseman, who, if convener of selectors Sir Richard Hadlee has any sway at all, will be brought back into calculations after being overlooked for all three one-day internationals in Zimbabwe.

Wiseman, the man-of-the-match from the first test at Bulawayo, seems an obvious replacement for Sulzberger.

He can bat at No 9, where his unorthodox hitting could prove useful, while providing a much-needed edge to the New Zealand slow-bowling department.

The Kiwis have much to play for in Kenya, having gained an automatic quarter-final berth by virtue of their semifinal placing in last year's World Cup, where they were eliminated by beaten finalists Pakistan.

At the start of this season, they announced a long-term goal of going one better next time and winning the 2003 showpiece, but they have made a less than convincing start to the crusade, suffering consecutive losses in Singapore before becoming the first New Zealand side to lose a series against Zimbabwe.

Monday night's showdown looms as a major crossroads for this tour, with a win capable of bringing back some of the momentum and confidence gained earlier in the programme, and a loss reinforcing the downward spiral and leaving the tourists vulnerable for the arduous South African challenge.

Apart from selection matters, New Zealand's biggest concerns include the batting form of Stephen Fleming, the continued search for an opening batsman to partner Nathan Astle, and the fragility of a bowling attack who have lacked accuracy, penetration, or any degree of cohesion.

On the flipside, the New Zealanders can be thankful that Roger Twose has found some compelling form with the bat and that Astle is doing such a sterling job with the ball.

And there will be relief, too, that Craig Spearman and Craig McMillan have scored some runs in the lead-up to Nairobi.

"Everyone's feeling very positive and we're hopeful of having a full squad available," Trist said. "The injuries have been incredibly frustrating, but we still should be in reasonable shape for the quarter-final match.

"We just don't need any more injuries - that would make things very difficult."

Sri Lanka sent the West Indies crashing to a 108-run defeat in the ICC Trophy yesterday. Sri Lanka set their opponents 288 to win, but they folded for a paltry 179 off 46.4 overs in the face of some tight bowling.