Vettori out of First Test, Tuffey uncertain; Bradburn and Walker called in

Vettori out of First Test, Tuffey uncertain; Bradburn and Walker called in
New Zealand Cricket - 5 March 2001

Daniel Vettori has been ruled out of the first National Bank Test against Pakistan. Northern Districts' off-spinner Grant Bradburn and Auckland leg-spin bowler Brooke Walker have been added to the squad which is enlarged to 13 players.

Chairman of selectors, Sir Richard Hadlee, said the unknown nature of the portable wicket which will be used at Eden Park had encouraged the selection panel to add two spinners to the squad to ensure all the attacking options were available.

"Grant Bradburn has had an excellent Shell Trophy and is the form spin bowler in the country. He is viewed by the selectors as a 'spinning all-rounder' having averaged 35 with the bat across the Trophy competition.

"Brooke Walker's inclusion ensures that the option of taking a leg-spinner as a attacking option is available to the coach and captain."

The 34-year-old Bradburn has had an excellent Shell Trophy taking 24 wickets at an average of 27.37 including one five-wicket bag. The experienced campaigner has played 16 seasons of first class cricket and has previously played for New Zealand. He has played five Tests, the last being against Sri Lanka in December 1992. He has also played seven One Day Internationals.

Brooke Walker is ten years younger than Bradburn and has played four Tests for New Zealand, the last being the Boxing Day Test against Zimbabwe. He has also played four One Day Internationals. He has taken 16 wickets at 31.06 across six Shell Trophy matches including one five wicket bag.

Daniel Vettori has been ruled out of the first Test and it is unknown whether he will be available for the other two National Bank Tests. Vettori experienced some discomfort during the final two ODIs in the National Bank Series and the medical panel agree those symptoms indicate that he is not ready for the extra load of Test match cricket. Following the ODI series Vettori has had 3-4 days of rest and will now begin an adjusted bowling programme to gradually increase his workload.

New Zealand Cricket player coordinator, Gilbert Enoka, reiterated that Daniel had not re-injured his back and his current injury status is not as serious as it was prior to the ODI series.

"Dan experienced some discomfort after bowling 10 overs in an ODI. He feels, and the medical panel agrees, that he is not yet ready to undertake the many more overs that he would be required to bowl in a Test match. We are taking the more cautious approach of building him up gradually to avoid any relapse," Enoka said.

Meanwhile Daryl Tuffey has been given a brief reprieve. A medical assessment this morning revealed a "marked improvement" of his right hip strain, however a final decision will be made on Wednesday.

Auckland pace bowler, Chris Drum, has been named as stand-by and will join the squad for the preparation phase. Drum has enjoyed an outstanding Shell Trophy and is the second highest wicket taker (to Iain O'Brien) with 39 wickets at 20.07. In the New Zealand 'A' v Pakistan game which was completed this morning Drum took eight wickets with figures of 4-42 in each innings. Drum has previously played five One Day Internationals for New Zealand, the last being against India in November 1999.

Sir Richard said: "The indications are that Daryl is likely to be fit to take his place in the Test line-up however he will complete team training sessions tomorrow and Wednesday and we will wait to see how he recovers."

The team is scheduled to practice at Eden Park this afternoon from 3.00pm.

Teams	New Zealand, Pakistan.
Tours	Pakistan in New Zealand