Bond cleared of stress fractures in his back

SYDNEY, Jan 18 (Reuters) New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond has been cleared of a stress fracture but team officials are still unsure what has caused his latest back problem.

Bond has been plagued by stress fractures throughout his career and was concerned he had suffered a recurrence of the problem after New Zealand's second one-day match in Hobart on Tuesday.

Bond saw a sports physician in Sydney today who cleared him of any major problems but he is still likely to miss New Zealand's next match against Australia on Sunday.

''It doesn't appear to be major structural, so we want to keep him here and manage him through. We'll just take it day by day,'' team manager Lindsay Crocker told the New Zealand Press Association.

''We've been down this path with him before, had bone scans, and it's a big exhalation of air for Shane and all of us when we know it's not that dreaded stress fracture.

''He's delighted that it's not that, but Shane shares the frustration of not knowing what it actually is.'' Bond's chances of playing this weekend are slim after he missed New Zealand's training session today and was prescribed antibiotics to reduce the swelling and pain.

His absence is another blow to New Zealand's prospects of beating the Australians who are undefeated in the competition.

Bond took a hat-trick in his team's 105-run loss to Australia on Sunday, joining Danny Morrison as the only New Zealander to achieve the feat in one-day internationals, but failed to capture a single wicket in the match against England.

REUTERS PM KP1055