Bond given the all clear

Shane Bond has been cleared of another stress fracture which had been feared after he had to leave the field with two more overs of his spell left against England on Wednesday.

A team spokesman told media that “It’s just stiffness in the lower back, so it’s muscular and not skeletal, which is good news.”

Black Caps manager Lindsay Crocker followed that up by saying “We’ve been down this path with him before, had bone scans, and it’s a big exhalation of air for Shane and all of us when we know it’s not that dreaded stress fracture.”

Crocker went onto say “He’s delighted that it’s not that, but Shane shares the frustration of not knowing what it actually is.”

Bond has not returned to full training and spent the latest training session doing a pool recovery session.

It is expected that Bond will be rested for Sunday’s match against Australia in Brisbane with Michael Mason taking his spot within the team.