Tait to replace injured Nash
From The Press, Monday, November 8, 1999

HYDERABAD - All-rounder Dion Nash has his fingers crossed that his troublesome back will be right again by the start of the home test cricket series, against the West Indies, in the middle of next month.

Nash is leaving the New Zealand tour of India early after injuring his back again during the first one-day international in Rajkot on Friday.

New Zealand coach David Trist confirmed Northern Districts medium-pace bowler Alex Tait would fly out immediately to replace Nash.

Tait will join the team in Mumbai tomorrow during its stopover on the way to Gwalior for the third one-dayer on Thursday.

Tait has played two one-day internationals and also played in the New Zealand team which won the bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur last year.

Nash fell during the final ball of his first over, felt muscle spasms, and left the field. Medical tests have found a problem with a disc in his spine.

The right-arm seamer said yesterday that he was unsure how long the rehabilitation period would take. "I've worked pretty hard in the past at trying to get it right and this is a setback in many ways," he said.

"But it's also nice to have an opportunity to freshen up, get ready, and hopefully hit the West Indies series."

Nash returned to the New Zealand team early last year having spent two years out of cricket because of his back, an injury that threatened his career.

Since then, it has been a case of constant monitoring, and he said there had not been too many worries over the past 18 months until that delivery in Rajkot.

"I just felt something go and from that point it went into spasms," he said. "It seems there was a nasty twist there. I might have got unco-ordinated and done something my back was unaccustomed too."

Nash said he was disappointed at missing the end of the tour of India, especially with New Zealand 1-0 up in the limited-over series. -NZPA

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