Bad luck hits Vettori again, should be right for third Test

Daniel Vettori's injury woes continued today with news that he is to come home from Australia after suffering a slight tear in his syndemosis ligament which runs across the front of his ankle.

The New Zealand left-arm spinner is expected to make a full recovery within a month and to be available for the third Test against Australia, starting on November 30.

The 31-Test veteran has been out of Test cricket since around the same time last year when he suffered a recurrence of a back strain, playing against Zimbabwe, which was finally diagnosed as a stress fracture.

He suffered his latest injury in New Zealand's practice match against the ACT Invitation XI when attempting to field a ball from his own bowling. He was wearing new boots with slightly longer sprigs which resulted in him painfully twisting his ankle.

Vettori had an MRI scan yesterday and a discussion was held with medical advistors in Canberra today.

The loss of Vettori is a big blow to the CLEAR Black Caps who have had to make do without his services since the start of last summer.

He was regarded as a crucial component in New Zealand's bid to push Australia in the series starting in Brisbane on November 8.

In his second to last Test against Australia he had match statistics of 12-149, during which he claimed his 100th Test wicket.

New Zealand team manager Jeff Crowe said: "Clearly Daniel is a major loss to our side, particularly when we're about to play the best team in world cricket.

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

New Zealand team management are still considering whether to call for a replacement player. Two spin bowlers, off-spinner Paul Wiseman and leg-spinner Brooke Walker, were named in the stand-by players for the tour.

Vettori will receive extensive treatment for his injury from New Zealand Cricket's medical team.

His injury is a debilitating one in the short term but he is expected to make a full recovery within a month.