Styris to miss first Test

New Zealand's priority is to ensure Scott Styris is fit for the World Cup © Getty Images

Scott Styris is likely to miss the first Test against Sri Lanka due to an ongoing back problem. Styris managed only two games in the Champions Trophy before his injury flared up again.

New Zealand team manager Lindsay Crocker said Styris was suffering from a small rupture to a disc in his spine and the priority was to ensure he was fit for the World Cup starting next March. "It's not in anyone's best interests for Scott to play when he isn't 100 percent right, so it's unlikely he'll be considered," Crocker told the Dominion Post.

"We just need to be patient and get him back to full fitness," he said. The injury first appeared in September when Styris was playing for the English county side Middlesex. The opening batsman Michael Papps will also not be considered for the first Test in Christchurch starting on December 7 due to a broken finger.

New Zealand will play two Tests against Sri Lanka, followed by two Twenty/20 matches and five one-day internationals.