Strain puts Fleming on sideline
By Richard Boock
From the New Zealand Herald, 15 November 2003
HYDERABAD - Stephen Fleming has
been ruled out of tonight's sudden death one-dayer against
India after failing a fitness test.
Hampered by a steadily worsening
muscle strain in his lower abdomen, the New Zealand
captain was anxious to avoid becoming a liability in
tonight's showdown at Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, where
the team to meet Australia in the tri-series final will
be decided.
The injury is apparently not related
to the groin tear he had in the 1998-99 summer, when
he missed the entire test series against South Africa
and the one-day series against India.
But it is starting to affect his
mobility, particularly his ability to bend and turn.
"It's a bit of a concern but we
haven't really been able to assess it," Fleming said.
"It's been simmering for three weeks but it's got to
a point now where it's affecting function, so it has
become an issue.
"It's pretty debilitating at times.
The last couple of days have been complete rest and
there seems to be no change."
The setback capped a rough couple
of days for the New Zealand team.
First came the news that four team-mates
were unwilling to tour Pakistan, then the security threat
message and now the captain's injury plight.
The only good news to emerge was
that Chris Cairns is fit and ready to resume duties.
He will captain the side in Fleming's
absence, as he did in the VB Series match against Australia
last year when New Zealand won by 23 runs.
Fleming said he was mindful of
New Zealand's packed upcoming itinerary - a short tour
of Pakistan, home series against Pakistan and South
Africa, and a lengthy tour of England, including three
tests and a one-day tri-series.
But he had been desperate to play
in tonight's TVS Cup match against India because of
the importance of the match in terms of the entire tour,
and the reputation of the New Zealand team abroad.
The tour will be heralded as a
success if Fleming's side can qualify for the final
and complete their commitments without losing a game
against the hosts, a feat never before achieved by a
New Zealand side.
"It's not often a team's gone through
a tour of India without getting beaten by them," he
said.
"We're close, and it could go either
way, in terms of creating something special.
"We're excited because we just
have to put a couple of good performances together.
"And if we get through to the final,
while Australia's a good side, we've created enough
chances against them to rate ourselves."
Fleming said he'd be lying to suggest
this week's threats against the team had been blocked
out for tonight's match, but said the challenge for
the side was to deal with it and still concentrate on
the game against India.
Feelings and emotions were running
high over the Pakistan issue, but there was also a strong
sense of motivation towards tonight's game and a determination
to end the last week of the Indian tour on a high.
"One thing we do have is a lot
of confidence in [NZ Cricket chief] Martin Snedden's
assessment," he said.
"The record shows he's got our
best interests at heart and we take a lot of confidence
from that. He's very thorough and probably leads the
way in terms of quality assessment." Fleming said that
was why he was prepared to captain the team wherever
NZC chose to send it.
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