Cricket: Chronic back pain injuries dismiss top paceman

By RICHARD BOOCK

About the time the New Zealand cricket selectors were pondering their ever-dwindling bowling options for the third test at Hamilton, the country's best-known paceman was announcing his retirement from all levels of the game.

Geoff Allott, the left-arm opening bowler who shared a World Cup wicket-taking record with Shane Warne in 1999, decided against pursuing a comeback after a series of stress fractures in his back continued to affect his fitness.

The 29-year-old left-armer played seven tests and 31 one-day internationals, the most recent in South Africa late last year when he took his 52nd one-day international wicket.

Tormented by as many as six different stress fractures of his spine, the Cantabrian returned from earlier injuries to take the World Cup in England by storm, snaring 20 wickets as New Zealand swept through to the semifinals.

However, his worst fears started to materialise weeks later when he felt the back begin to play up again during the test tour of England.

Since then Allott has fought a constant battle against pain and frustration.

"It got to the stage where I was having an injection before every game," he said yesterday.

"The frustration started to set in, and I felt it was appropriate to get out before I risked any long-term injury."

Until he was 17, Allott was a spin bowler, but changed to the longer run-up and had to wait some years before being recognised by the provincial or national selectors.

He played his first test against Zimbabwe in 1996 under coach Glenn Turner, and his last in 1999 under Steve Rixon, when New Zealand won their first test at Lord's, and carried on to win the series.

Allott also holds a cluster of world records, but for batting rather than bowling - the deeds emanating from the drawn first test between New Zealand and South Africa at Eden Park in 1999, when the surface was glued to prevent further deterioration.

One of international cricket's genuine tail-enders, Allott was such a thoroughbred rabbit that 55 seconds would normally constitute a fairly long innings, but in this test he managed to hang around for 101 minutes without scoring.

It was the longest time anyone in test history has spent on nought, the longest time anyone has spent without scoring a run and the longest duck in first-class or test cricket, bettering the effort of Rhodesia's Vincent Hogg, who laboured for 87 minutes in a Currie Cup match in 1978-79.

Allott's retirement will make little difference to the New Zealand selectors in terms of the coming test match because he was never expected to be fit this season anyway, but it was the latest blow in a season in which most of the country's front-line bowlers have been injured.

The most interesting question surrounding this morning's team announcement is whether Shayne O'Connor is deemed fit enough to play at Hamilton, or whether James Franklin will receive the nod instead.

It seems unlikely that the selectors would drop struggling batsman Nathan Astle for just one test, leaving the decision over the balance of the bowling attack the only genuine issue.

Franklin swung the ball and took a couple of wickets in the first innings of Wellington's first-class match against Pakistan, and added opener Saleem Elahi to his tally yesterday afternoon as the tourists ended the second day at 49 for one.

Dismissed in their first innings for 175, Pakistan found themselves trailing by 168 after Wellington amassed 343 for eight declared, following contributions of 74 from Selwyn Blackmore, 67 from Chris Nevin and 60 from Grant Donaldson.