Nash heads home, playing future clouded
From Stuff, September 30, 2000

BULAWAYO: New Zealand cricket all-rounder Dion Nash will return home on Sunday with his international future in doubt as his team try to clean sweep the one-day series against Zimbabwe.

Nash was barely able to bowl at training on Friday and the decision was made to send him home to try and recover from his back stress fracture.

It means he will miss the upcoming tour of South Africa and any comeback date is uncertain.

He is the second key bowler in as many days to be ruled out of the eight-week South African tour, with spinner Daniel Vettori out until Christmas with a similar injury.

Nash's injury wasn't the only headache for the New Zealand management yesterday as they tried to pick their team for the second one-dayer at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.

Wicketkeeper Chris Nevin was ruled out with a recurrence of his hernia injury.

It meant a one-day recall for the in-form Adam Parore and a promotion in the batting order for captain Stephen Fleming who will open with Nathan Astle.

But there was better news for another back stress fracture victim, Geoff Allott, who will replace Shayne O'Connor on Saturday after missing the seven-wicket win in Harare on Wednesday.

For Nash, going home early was an unhappily familiar experience, having returned home from tours to England in 1994, the West Indies in 1996 and India last year due to injury.

The 28-year-old played his 31st test in the eight-wicket win over Zimbabwe in Harare last week.

It was his first test in nine months after spending the winter in recovery mode.

"It's tough. It's one of those things but I guess the more it happens the more you learn to deal with it," Nash said.

"It's a pretty lonely flight. It's not a nice one ... but it's part of life."

Nash said it was too early to tell how long he would be out of cricket for.

He was keen to play in the domestic competition for Auckland as a batsman, as he has in the past.

"I haven't given it any clear head space. I'm still a little bit emotional ... a lot of thoughts going on.

"I don't really know about the future yet.

"It's just wait and see, give it some time and perhaps just settle for batting and playing for Auckland for a while."

There was no immediate need for a replacement for Nash, with O'Connor already with the squad as cover.

- NZPA

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