Vettori added to Black Caps? injury worries

Wellington
Nathan Astle is back on song for the Australia cricket series but his heroics here yesterday took a back seat to mounting injury concerns over key men Jacob Oram and Daniel Vettori.
Astle's man of the match performance at Westpac Stadium ? 109 off 123 balls, the wicket of an in-form Matthew Elliott and the run out of Jonty Rhodes ? still wasn't enough to spur New Zealand to a win over the World 11.
Thanks to Australian Andy Bichel's heroics with bat and ball, the World 11 set up a series decider in Hamilton tomorrow with a three-wicket win chasing 257.
While Astle's return was welcomed after some scratchy recent form, bad news followed with Vettori ruled out of the match in his home town with another back problem.
Little more than 24 hours after Oram revealed fears he could have a back stress fracture to put him in doubt for next month's Australia series, it was the hammer blow a buoyant New Zealand didn't need.
It saw Canterbury offspinner Paul Wiseman immediately rewarded for his remarkable nine for 13 against Central Districts with a callup to Hamilton.
Vettori has a history of back problems dating back to a car crash he was involved in as a child, and has been sidelined with stress fractures.
Yesterday, he bowled five overs, taking one for 24, before leaving the field with back pain.
Team management were tight-lipped, only saying the injury would be given 48 hours to settle before medical advice was sought. Oram meanwhile will have a scan on his back before the end of the week.
If it all added up to gloomy tidings for New Zealand, already without back injury-troubled pacemen Shane Bond and Ian Butler, Astle's efforts provided some relief.
Having not looked his best alongside Stephen Fleming's onslaught in Christchurch on Saturday, he blazed away before the crowd of 21,462.
He reached 50 off 43 balls with a series of stand and deliver boundaries, and hit nine fours and a six overall before being seventh out in the 45th over.
"I'm not flowing and as at ease at the crease as I'd like to be. The Nathan Astle of old, I wouldn't be getting runs," Astle said.
"So far it's been pretty good, I've developed that mentally in my game as well.
"When you go to the crease you don't have to feel $1 million, and the days you don't you've got to work a little bit harder."
It was Astle's 15th century in a one-day match for New Zealand, although this series wasn't granted official international status.
Astle said the "no fear" attacking approach used by he and Fleming would continue in Hamilton.
But it will be hoped more batsmen get among the runs after the recalled Craig McMillan was second top score with just 33 yesterday.
Local boy Scott Styris is more in need of a big innings than most and should return to the side after being 12th man in Wellington.
"It came back to us losing wickets and we put the brakes on ourselves. If we hadn't done that, we would have been a lot freer down the order," a slightly irked Astle said of their total.
The World 11, including unwanted Australian internationals Bichel and Elliott, cruised home with 13 balls to spare in their chase.
Elliott cracked 57 off 67 balls as Daryl Tuffey and Kyle Mills suffered, Kumar Sangakkara steadied things with 52 then Bichel's run a ball 37 and Chaminda Vaas' 22 off 12 finished it.
Astle, Chris Cairns and Jeff Wilson all had good moments with the ball, with Wilson taking a brilliant caught and bowled to remove Lance Klusener for four, and end with one for 27 off eight overs.
Bichel meanwhile basked in his matchwinning efforts, including three for 56 with the ball despite being cracked for a huge six by Wilson.