Full speed ahead for Wiseman's return
Provided the national selectors agree it will be full-speed-ahead for Paul Wiseman's return to the New Zealand Cricket team which will play Zimbabwe in the one-off Boxing Day test at the Basin Reserve late this month
Don Cameron
14-Dec-2000
Provided the national selectors agree it will be full-speed-ahead for Paul
Wiseman's
return to the New Zealand Cricket team which will play Zimbabwe in the
one-off
Boxing Day test at the Basin Reserve late this month.
The international future of the Otago off-spinner, seemingly assured
with the injury
to Daniel Vettori, has been in doubt since Wiseman injured an ankle in
South Africa
last month.
One diagnosis of the severe sprain was that there was a fracture in the
ankle, and
Wiseman could be 6-8 weeks away from the game.
Since then a scan showed a bone flake in the ankle joint, and Wiseman
gave the
injury its first test when bowling 14 overs against Auckland at Eden
Park No 2 on
Wednesday.
He felt little discomfort then, and was moving freely on the injury in
the warm-ups
before play today.
"It feels fine, a little painful, but nothing that would stop me
playing," said the
30-year-old. "I guess I'll live."
Later in the day Wiseman batted 171 minutes for 75 runs at No 8,
including a
56-run stand for the last wicket with James McMillan.
Wiseman moved swiftly between the wickets and was obviously untroubled
by the
healing ankle.
The New Zealand selectors plan to name their first test team on Monday.