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Shane Bond has been ruled out of the rest of the Test series against Pakistan due to a torn abdominal muscle. Bond was the Player of the Match in the thrilling win in Dunedin, where he took eight wickets for the game in what was his first Test in two years.

Bond suffered minor abdominal discomfort following the 32-run victory and scans on Tuesday revealed a one-centimetre tear in an abdominal muscle. The New Zealand team manager Dave Currie said Bond would be rested from the second and third Tests as a precaution.

Bond has always been injury-prone and up until his ICL defection he had managed to play only 17 Tests in six years. “Just rerun the tapes mate,” Bond said, alluding to his never-ending struggle to stay match-fit. “It’s not what I expected. There was a little bit of niggle there during the game but during the last session (on Saturday) there was nothing.

“I’ve had aches and pains there for a long time and when you go into a Test with four bowlers you want peace of mind that everything’s fine. I’ve prepared for this for the last four months. I’ve bowled a lot of overs in the nets and had the one-day series … the amount of overs has probably attributed to it but that’s cricket.”

Bond admitted he didn’t want to risk playing the next Test, for the injury, despite not being very serious at this point, could worsen and affect his future prospects. “I could probably play but if I did there was a chance I could blow it completely and then you’re out for a long time,” he said.

Bond is expected to recover in time for New Zealand’s home series against Bangladesh early next year. But he wasn’t willing to guarantee anything. “I’m a positive person but I’m also a realist,” Bond said. “I don’t like doing this, I feel like it lets the team down. I’m sure the team finds it a pain on the backside to have someone coming in and out all the time.

“I’ll have to take some time over Christmas and have a think about it and see what we do.”

The selectors are likely to name a replacement for Bond by Wednesday, with the second Test set to begin in Wellington on Thursday.

The Dunedin match marked Bond’s comeback to Test cricket after he was made ineligible for New Zealand selection due to his decision to play in the ICL.

On a brighter note for New Zealand, Iain O’Brien has had a positive prognosis on his finger, which he dislocated while trying to field off his own bowling. “It’s just sore, there’s no fractures just a bit of bruising,” he said after bowling a couple of gentle deliveries in the nets.
Source:Cricket News

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