New back fears for Bond

Shane Bond's latest back injury could be more serious than first thought and he will have scans in Sydney on Thursday to determine whether he can continue in the Commonwealth Bank Series. Bond left the field during New Zealand's limited-overs loss to England at Hobart on Tuesday and woke up with further soreness the next morning.

Bond's history of back problems has prompted speculation the latest incident could threaten his long-term career as well as his tri-series and World Cup hopes. He had a major operation at the end of 2004, when two of his vertebrae were fused together and reinforced with titanium wire and bone grafts.

After the game Stephen Fleming played down talk of Bond's injury being serious. "We're thinking it's just muscular but we'll see," Fleming told NZPA. "It's been around for a while so it just gets a bit stiff. Two games in three days has probably brought that on. Fingers crossed it's just that [muscular].

"I'm always a little bit worried because he's such an important part of the side and we know how much better we are when he is in the side. Whenever he's not quite right it sends a shiver through the camp and we just hope that this week we'll manage him through and it's not serious in terms of skeletal or bone."

Bond bowled eight overs against England but left the ground after his second spell. Two days earlier against Australia he completed his ten overs and took 4 for 61, including a hat-trick in the 50th over.