Injured Black Cap Shane Bond arrived back in Christchurch from South Africa last night, but brushed aside any suggestions about retiring from cricket.
After an abdominal strain cut short his tour, Bond said he was extremely frustrated, and while retirement had been on the back of his mind,he said: "Not at this stage."
"Work hard and come back," he suggested.
Bond's injury is one of several disasters to strike the team who suffered a 358-run loss in the first test. The second test starts on Friday.
There have been suggestions from former internationals that the injury-prone fast bowler should quit the game, having been ruled out of yet another tour.
The abdominal strain is considered the worst type of muscle injury for a fast bowler because it is slow to heal and easy to aggravate and New Zealand selection manager Richard Hadlee expected a four to six-week recovery period for Bond.
Bond will miss next month's Chappell-Hadlee series in Australia and at least the limited overs section of the home series against Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, Black Caps coach John Bracewell said he expected his entire squad in South Africa, including Stephen Fleming, who is recovering from a dislocated thumb, and Jacob Oram, who has a hamstring problem, to be available for the second test at the Centurion.
However, both Fleming and Oram are doubtful. Kyle Mills, a replacement for Bond and Jamie How, a cover for Fleming, have been included in the squad.
Bracewell said he has yet to decide whether to reshuffle his top-order batting lineup.
