Cricket: Vettori out of decider with back injury

As if the loss against the World XI was not galling enough for New Zealand, they now have to face an even worse scenario - a fresh back injury suffered by leading spinner Daniel Vettori.

The spearhead of New Zealand's attack over the past couple of years, Vettori has been withdrawn from the team for the third and deciding one-dayer at Hamilton tomorrow, and has been replaced by Canterbury off-spinner Paul Wiseman.

The Black Caps went down by three wickets in Wellington last night.

Wiseman received his recall yesterday after taking a staggering nine for 13 against Central Districts, the second-best figures in 141 years of New Zealand first-class cricket.

However, the delight over Wiseman's success was quickly dampened by news of Vettori's plight, and the nagging suspicion that he may have suffered yet another stress fracture injury in his back, a problem he has been managing since first going down with the complaint in 2000.

To make matters worse, New Zealand already have serious concerns about the state of Jacob Oram's back, and have been forced to do without the services of Shane Bond, who is recuperating after radical reconstructive surgery on his vertabrae.

New Zealand Cricket media manager Anthony Clearwater said details were still unclear about the severity of Vettori's problem, but that it was decided to take no chances with the test team's most successful bowler.

"It will be 48 hours before Daniel's back settles down enough for the diagnostic process to begin," Clearwater said. "In the meantime, he's been taken out of the team as a precaution and replaced by Paul Wiseman."

Vettori suffered his first back injury during the 2000 series against Australia, missing the third test, and then aggravating the complaint in his comeback match against Zimbabwe, and being forced out of the game for the best part of a year.

If the initial fears are realised New Zealand could be without their leading allrounder and leading strike-bowler when Australia arrive next month.