News may not be as bad as feared for Shane Bond

All may not be lost for New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond who returned home to Christchurch from Sri Lanka today.

New Zealand Cricket's sports science medical co-ordinator Warren Frost met Bond at Christchurch Airport and said afterwards that the advice received from the team physiotherapist on tour, Dayle Shackel, offered a best hope scenario that Bond's back problem could be disc-related and not the stress fracture that has been feared. Bond will have an MRI scan on Monday to determine the extent of his problem.

Bond said after his arrival in Christchurch that before leaving Sri Lanka the injury had settled down and there was no stiffness associated with it. It was only when twisting that he could feel the injury.

The victim of three stress fractures at earlier stages of his career Bond, who became the bowler to achieve the fastest 50 wickets by a New Zealander in one-day internationals on the tour to Sri Lanka, said the feeling was different on Sunday to that he felt when suffering his earlier stress fractures.

"Those times I wasn't able to bowl a ball because there was a searing pain in the back. After bowling three overs [against Pakistan] I got a wee bit stiff but was able to bowl at a reasonable pace. I never felt sore when I bowled. I'm a little bit nervous that it is not going to be great news. I'll be able to tell as soon as I see the scan what the problem is," he said.

The news will also be followed with interest by English county club Warwickshire who have been in daily contact with Bond to see how he is doing. He is due to join them for the full English season. "They will be the first to know," Bond said.

In case it is bad news Bond has prepared himself for that and said he would at least be lucky that it is not until mid-September that the New Zealand team plays again and he was hopeful that with the required rest he could be over the problem by that time.

The thing about his recovery was that it required rest and the only thing he would be unable to do was bowl. It would allow him to spend the winter at home with his wife, and he was looking forward to that.

Bond said the conditions at Dambulla were the best he had bowled in over in Sri Lanka and were much like New Zealand last summer. "It [the pitch] was the best I had bowled on over there. But the hardest thing on a green wicket is putting the ball in the spot," he said.

Frost said that if Bond's injury was disc-related it might not be too long before Bond was back on the field and meeting his Warwickshire commitments.