Cricket: Hamstring injury leaves Drumm thinking about future

Emily Drumm will take next season off before contemplating a return to cricket - at any level.

An interested spectator at yesterday's State Championship final at Eden Park after being invalided out of the present World Cup in South Africa, an obviously frustrated Drumm is now watching her team-mates from afar.

Having her cup campaign cut short was upsetting for the diminutive Drumm who had led New Zealand to that famous victory over Australia in the last World Cup.

"I was really looking forward to having the chance to defend the cup," said Drumm.

"But it wasn't to be."

Left nursing a painful hamstring injury sustained in the White Ferns' second match - after the first had been abandoned - team officials had no option but to replace Drumm (with Central Districts' Aimee Mason).

"I hurt my hamstring slightly in the warm-up game in Australia and sat out the three Rosebowl games as a precaution," said Drumm.

"We were hopeful it would come right and certainly for the first 90 minutes I batted against Australia I had no problems.

"Then, as I ran a reasonably sharp single, I felt it go and that was it."

The injury, which she feels will heal in another two or three weeks, ended Drumm's ambition of playing 100 ODIs while in South Africa and joining Debbie Hockley as the only New Zealander to reach the milestone.

"I'm on 96," said Drumm, with an obvious hint of disappointment.

"I owe myself [a break] having played at the highest level since I was 14," said Drumm, 30, who first played for New Zealand in 1991. "But at this stage there is no commitment - at any level. If I miss it enough, I'll come back. I've got a 15ft 'tinnie' and I want to go fishing. That will give me time to think about things."

In the meantime she will continue to support her team-mates from a distance.

"I sat up the other night and watched every ball on the internet as they beat India."