Back injury threat to Sherlock
Full Text (485 words)
Copyright Independent Newspapers, Ltd. Dec 8, 2004
Promising young Canterbury pace bowler Richard Sherlock's cricket season is in jeopardy because of a probable stress fracture.
Sherlock, 21, had a bone scan this week which disclosed a "hot spot". Another scan tomorrow will determine whether it is a stress fracture or bone remodelling.
Sherlock is desperately hoping it will be the latter, which at least may allow him to come back for some of the first-class season.
If it is the suspected stress fracture, his representative season is basically over before it has begun.
Sherlock is one of the few players in New Zealand who can bowl at speeds in excess of 140kmh. He was fast-tracked into the New Zealand A team on its South African tour during September.
He experienced stiffness in his lower back while there, but it developed into a more painful condition when he started to bowl on his return home.
"Anti-inflammatory tablets initially helped, but when they were not I began to get a bit worried."
Sherlock bowled three overs in last week's Canterbury trial before pulling out and seeking medical advice.
"I could have bowled on with the pain but there was no real point. It was better to get things sorted out."
If the diagnosis comes back as the dreaded stress fracture, Sherlock must have six weeks mandatory rest before beginning a gradual return to fitness. He cannot begin bowling again for another six weeks and then only at gentle loadings.
If the injury is bone remodelling it means the bones are reforming, and the condition could perhaps be growth-related.
"That would still be time out from the game, but in a best-case scenario I could be back again in a couple of months. People have said I've got a bit taller since they last saw me before South Africa, so I hope it's related to the spine still growing."
Ironically, Sherlock has never previously had a back niggle or twinge in his career.
While downcast, Sherlock is not defeated.
"A lot of pace bowlers have had stress fractures before and a lot have come back."
He is also awaiting a biomechanical analysis to determine whether he has a mixed action, which would make him more susceptible to lower-back problems.
Sherlock was plagued last season by an ongoing heel injury which restricted him to just two first-class appearances for Central Districts.
One performance of four for 33 on debut -- where he took three top-order wickets in eight balls -- earmarked him as a talented prospect, and he was lured from Nelson during the off-season by Canterbury.
The heel trouble, which was akin to a stress condition, has not bothered him again. Sherlock has taken steps to minimise the impact of his left foot on the ground at the bowling crease by sprigging up cross-trainer shoes instead of bowling boots.
"I'm sure that has helped, but it's quite expensive -- you go through them more quickly."
