Bond facing another tough battle

The saga that is Shane Bond's cricket career continues. The luckless fast bowler touches down in Christchurch today after being invalided out of yet another tour.

Bond has suffered more cruel twists of fate than you would wish on your worst enemy and two former New Zealand quicks with long injury lists themselves spoke yesterday of the anguish he would be feeling.

Dion Nash, a New Zealand Cricket selector, was full of sympathy for Bond, who suffered an abdominal strain during the first test against South Africa in Johannesburg which will rule him out for an expected six weeks.

"It just gets tiring because you use up so much mental energy just trying to get on the park and the last thing you want to get is this label or this tag of being injury-prone," Nash said.

"There's nothing worse than having a Ferrari parked in the garage, you want to have it out on the road."

Nash hit out at critics who have labelled Bond soft.

"People have to understand that when you bowl 150kmh there's no possible way in the world that you can be soft.

"But what you are going to do is you're going to break bones and you're going to tear muscles so that's part and parcel of it."

Nash believed Bond would be struggling mentally to deal with his latest blow, coming right at the start of the season.

"You get yourself so wound-up and with so many injuries, the finite nature of your career becomes so clear in your head and that's a strain in itself, just knowing that."

Statistically one of the greatest strike bowlers in world cricket, Bond will now target England's tour of New Zealand as the focus of his summer.

"If we're going to perform well this summer, we definitely need him come England time that's for sure," said former test star Simon Doull.

"Sometimes the issue is maybe not enough bowling.

"You can spend so much time in the gym and so much time doing your weights and all these sorts of things but really there's no substitute for just getting out there and bowling."

Doull believed Bond's latest injury could force his retirement.

"I think he knows that he only has a fairly limited career.

"If he doesn't come right from this, it wouldn't surprise me if he didn't play again."

BOND'S INNINGS

Nov 2001: Makes test debut against Australia.

Jan 2002: Wins Tri-series player of series award with 21 wickets.

Feb 2002: Stress fracture in foot forces Bond out of home series against England.

June 2002: Returns to Black Caps for West Indies tour and plays pivotal role in first test series success.

Dec 2002: Helps spearhead Black Caps 2-0 home test series win against India.

Mar 2002: Takes 6-23 against Australia in World Cup.

May 2003: Breaks down with stress fracture in lower back on Sri Lankan tour.

Nov 2003: Breaks down again in Christchurch club cricket while making comeback.

April 2004: Returns to international arena for NZ A and selected for England tour.

May 2004: Back pain returns after just two first-class matches. Out of test series.

August 2004: Undergoes spinal fusion surgery.

August 2005: Reselected in Black Caps.

December 2005: Develops hamstring problems.

April 2006: Knee injury rules him out of South African tour.

January 2007: Back problems flare up again.

February 2007: Returns to knock over Australia for 148, taking 5-23.

November 2007: Sent home from South Africa with abdominal tear.

- © Fairfax NZ News