Cricket: Wiseman may yet stay on tour

By RICHARD BOOCK

BLOEMFONTEIN - New Zealand cricketer Paul Wiseman could be forgiven for not knowing whether he was coming or going yesterday.

The Otago offspinner was granted an 11th-hour stay of execution after the selectors initially announced that he had been forced out of the South African tour with a sprained right ankle, and was to be replaced by Glen Sulzberger.

Wiseman will now remain with the squad for another 24 hours as medical staff attempt to decide whether he is likely to be fit in time for the second test at Port Elizabeth starting on November 30, while Sulzberger's status has been down-graded to being on standby.

The confusion started yesterday after the New Zealand team management became concerned about Wiseman's apparent slow recovery from the ankle injury

It had just been decided that he probably would not be available for the second test and therefore should return home, when the 30-year-old began moving about far more freely after arriving at the ground for practice.

With New Zealand's bowling stocks already decimated by injury, it was felt that any chance of Wiseman being fit for Port Elizabeth should be more carefully assessed, especially as he had proved his worth in the first test against Zimbabwe in September when he emerged as the man of the match.

Sulzberger, who was initially brought over for the one-dayers against Zimababwe when everything suggested he was better suited to the longer game, is now unlikely to know whether he will be needed until tomorrow.

But Wellington paceman Andrew Penn, who was earlier named to tour only to be injured before departure, expected to arrive in Bloemfontein last night as a replacement for the injured Scott Styris, who suffered cartilage damage in his right knee while playing against North-West and underwent arthroscopic surgery.

The litany of misfortune continued for the New Zealanders when back-up paceman Kerry Walmsley was lowered by a stomach bug, leaving the tourists with only 12 fit players on the eve of the test match. The only fit member of the squad not in line for the test was Hamish Marshall.