Vettori coming home

Vettori coming home
New Zealand Cricket - 23 October 2001

Daniel Vettori will be returning to New Zealand after tearing his ankle ligament playing the ACT XI in Canberra on Sunday.

An MRI scan revealed there were no broken bones but medical experts confirmed the syndesmosis ligament, which runs across the front of the ankle, has a slight tear.

The injury is debilitating in the short term, but Vettori is expected to make a full recovery within a month and there is hope he will be available for the Third test on November 30.

Manager, Jeff Crowe, says that while it's a big blow for the team and Vettori is obviously very disappointed, it could have been a lot worse.

"Clearly Daniel is a major loss to our side, particularly when we're about to play the best team in world cricket," says Crowe.

"However, when you consider we initially thought he may have broken his ankle, this is not the worst result."

Vettori will fly back to New Zealand on Thursday, where he will undergo extensive treatment by New Zealand Cricket's medical team.

CLEAR Black Caps team management is still considering whether they will call for a replacement player.

Two spin bowlers were among the standby players named at the start of the tour.

They are Paul Wiseman and Brooke Walker.

Teams	New Zealand.
Players/Umpires	Daniel Vettori, Jeff Crowe, Paul Wiseman, Brooke Walker.
Tours	New Zealand in Australia