Shane Bond back for third Test

Shane Bond, the New Zealand fast bowler, is fit for the third Test against West Indies beginning at Napier on Saturday. Bond missed the second Test because of a stomach virus and was replaced by Kyle Mills, who took six wickets, at Wellington.

New Zealand have already sealed the series with two emphatic victories. They clinched the first Test at Auckland by 27 runs with a stunning comeback on the fifth day and then routed West Indies by ten wickets inside four days at Wellington. Bond played a big role in the first Test by blasting out seven wickets and West Indies, facing the humiliating prospect of a whitewash, could be in for further trouble.

New Zealand have won five Tests in a row for the first time after the win at Wellington and have an opportunity to extend their winning streak at Napier. Stephen Fleming, the New Zealand captain, said that the third Test against West Indies will add to their preparation for the tour of South Africa in April.

"We haven't got one eye on South Africa, we've got both eyes firmly on the next Test and if we can keep improving in each area then we'll go to the Republic in good shape," Fleming told AFP. "But if we slip back and don't play as well, then we're one Test behind where we want to be.

"We've found there's a brand of cricket being played by a couple of sides in the world which don't give you second chances, and at the moment we're in a bunch with the West Indies where you do get second chances. If you want to climb the ladder to get in the top one or two, you have to eradicate those [mistakes] to be competitive and that's what we're after."

New Zealand
Jamie How, Hamish Marshall, Stephen Fleming (capt), Nathan Astle, Peter Fulton, Scott Styris, Brendon McCullum (wk), Daniel Vettori, James Franklin, Shane Bond, Chris Martin, Kyle Mills, Jeetan Patel