Half-fit? Here we go again
By Richard Boock
From The New Zealand Herald, June 13, 2001

Needless to say, after suffering an injury count which ran neck and neck with the national road toll last season, the New Zealand cricket selectors have signalled their intention to recall Dion Nash - broken back and all.

Never mind the appalling lack of success with "nearly fit" players in Africa, the subsequent loss of half the bowling attack and the imbalance caused in the overall squad, selection convener Sir Richard Hadlee has advised that Nash will probably be picked in the side to tour Sri Lanka next month - despite being nowhere near full fitness and unable to play back-to-back games.

Hadlee's panel will tomorrow announce their 14-strong squad to contest the triangular tournament in Sri Lanka, but if yesterday's comments were any guide, little has been learned from the continual frustrations at the start of last season, when Nash, Daniel Vettori, Geoff Allott, Andrew Penn and Chris Nevin all broke down after making premature comebacks.

In a statement which was almost a word-for-word copy of his reasoning on Allott last year, Hadlee suggested exceptions could be made in the case of Nash, who has been cleared by New Zealand Cricket's medical panel to make his third return from a career-threatening back injury. The exceptions apparently involve waiving the requirement for Nash to demonstrate that he is fully fit, and accepting that his injury will affect his availability for all games.

"Dion's been training for some time now and he's enthusiastic, which is good for us," Hadlee said.

"He's about 80 per cent fit and clearly his workload needs to be managed. It probably means playing one game and having the next off in Sri Lanka. We're more than happy to accommodate his needs." New Zealand are to play three games each against India and Sri Lanka in the space of a fortnight next month, and if they manage to qualify, will contest the final in Colombo on August 4.

The decision effectively rules out any chance of the selectors including some back-up batting for the unpredictable top order since they will first need to provide enough bowling options to cover the days that Nash is unable to play.

The 29-year-old made his one-day international debut in the 1992-93 season, but since then has missed 115 ODIs and has played in only six of the past 43 matches, the most recent in Bulawayo when he did not bowl.

In fact, such has been his struggle with stress-fracture problems in his spine that the last time he bowled 10 overs in an ODI was at the 1999 World Cup, when he wheeled down his full quota against India in the Super Six match at Trent Bridge.

When he has played, however, Nash has shown himself to be a natural for the big occasion, his effectiveness with bat and ball matched only by a fierce sense of determination and one of the hardest noses in the business.

Coach David Trist still talks in wonder at Nash's exploits in Zimbabwe last year, when he put aside the pain of an agonising stress-fracture to have one last bowl at Zimbabwe during the final day of the second test at Harare.

Nash did not take the final stubborn wicket with his seamers, but still managed to push New Zealand through to victory with a typically influential piece of work, running out Pommie Mbangwa in what might have been his final act in the test arena.

For all that, New Zealand will require as many options as possible in Sri Lanka next month, so the idea of picking a frontline bowler who cannot bowl in half the games flies in the face of all logic, particularly given the deep sense of frustration experienced in Africa last season.

His inclusion will probably mean there is no room for left-arm paceman Shayne O'Connor (who has recovered from his leg injury) and leaves some major questions hovering over the start to the 2001-02 international programme.

For instance, is it really "Welcome back, Dion," or is it, "Good grief, here we go again?"

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