Kiwis lament loss of Vettori for first two Tests

New Zealand's bowling attack looks as fragile as Daniel Vettori's ankle after the left-arm spinner was forced home from the cricket tour of Australia just two weeks before the first Test in Brisbane.

Vettori will fly home on Thursday after severely spraining his ankle in the tour match against the ACT President's XI here.

Manager Jeff Crowe said the gangly 22-year-old would be out of action for four to six weeks but remained hopeful Vettori could still play in the third and final Test in Perth starting on November 30.

"What we're saying here is that the tour is not exactly over for Dan and hopefully, he'll be back for the Third Test match," Crowe told reporters today at Manuka Oval, where Vettori injured his leg while fielding from his own bowling on Sunday.

A decision on a replacement has not yet been made.

Vettori's loss comes as a savage blow for New Zealand, who will severely miss his left-arm spin when the first Test starts in Brisbane on November 8.

He has taken 106 wickets in 31 Tests and his six Tests against Australia have yielded 20 wickets at an average of 26.40.

And he's more than a dab hand with the bat, averaging 18.00 down the order with a Test best of 90.

With Chris Cairns still fighting his way back to full fitness after knee surgery and Dion Nash waging a continuing battle against a debilitating back injury, the Black Caps' bowling attack is far from settled.

Vettori himself had only just returned from a stress fracture in his back which had kept him out of Test cricket for the past 13 months and New Zealand was looking forward to playing its best bowling attack for the first time in almost two years.

"Daniel's devastated. It's another blow and I feel really sorry for the fellow. It's one of those freak accidents (after) you've worked so hard to come back.

"We've missed him throughout the year, really, when he's been recovering from his back problems.

"He's a major part of our line-up and he will be difficult to replace."

The options for the Kiwis are pretty slim.

Crowe said uncapped Glen Sulzberger, 28, who bowled 48 overs in the first innings of the ACT game, was now at the frontline of spin selection but journeyman Paul Wiseman and young leg-spinner Brooke Walker were also possible replacements.

Neither has anywhere near the experience of Vettori, with Walker playing four Tests for three wickets at 100.66 and the 31-year-old Wiseman playing 14 Tests with little return.

"If a replacement player came over here, it would only be cover until we know where Daniel is. If he was to return, that would be a cover scenario," Crowe said.

Crowe said a media ban was in place on Vettori until he returned to Christchurch.

Team physiotherapist Dale Shackel said Vettori had strained the ligament at the front of the ankle, which virtually holds the front of the tibia and the fibula together.

"(That) means any weight he bears on it, it's just splitting apart a little bit.

"That's why it just takes a little bit longer than just a normal ankle sprain," Shackel said.

Meanwhile, the Kiwis gained valuable batting practice today, with Mathew Sinclair sparkling with 145 runs featuring some delightful cover drives.

Opener Matthew Bell also got a ton but his 107 runs (retired) came laboriously, taking 422 minutes from 324 balls with 15 boundaries.

Four centuries came from the match, with ACT batsmen Jack Smith (156) and Grant Lambert (101) taking a liking to the Kiwis' bowling in the earlier part of the game.

New Zealand declared their innings closed with an hour to go so as to allow all-rounder, Chris Cairns, returning from injury, to bowl again.

Kiwi skipper Stephen Fleming said after the game that Cairns' bowling could be better assessed on a Test standard pitch and, overall, he was happy with the progress of the team in this match.

"We're simmering away quite nicely. We arrived on these shores with quite a bit of work to do. We're getting through that work," Fleming told reporters.

"We want the improvements to be quite substantial going into the next two matches, which will be quite important."