Gillespie out, Fulton 50/50, Oram fit

A New Zealand team spokesman has confirmed that fast bowler Mark Gillespie will miss the Black Caps opening World Cup match against England at the Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia on Friday.

Gillespie has been suffering from a reaction to a throat virus which has made his bowling arm numb. This ruled him out of the Black Caps two warm-up games and along with lacking match practice he was not considered to be ready for selection.

Peter Fulton is 50/50 for the England game after breaking a finger during the Black Caps warm-up match against Sri Lanka last Friday. A decision on his availability for the match is expected to be made on Thursday.

The news is better for Jacob Oram with the star all-rounder having fully recovered from his fractured finger.