Virus threatens Gillespie's World Cup hopes

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Mar 7 (Reuters) New Zealand pace bowler Mark Gillespie has picked up a virus which has numbed his bowling right arm and could threaten his chances of playing in the World Cup opening games starting next week.

The problem, which New Zealand officials called acute brachial neuritis, was the result of a throat virus Gillespie suffered before leaving for the Caribbean last week.

''We don't know much more about it,'' captain Stephen Fleming told reporters after their surprise two-wicket warm-up defeat by Bangladesh yesterday in Bridgetown. ''He's seeing a specialist on Friday so we'll discover more then.'' Gillespie's bowling arm became numb during the day-long flight to the West Indies. It means he will almost certainly miss Friday's final warm-up against Sri Lanka.

New Zealand face England in their group C opener on March 16 in St Lucia and also play Kenya (March 20) and Canada (22) in the opening stage.

REUTERS PDS KP1954