New Zealand are set to discover on Thursday if strike bowler Shane Bond has suffered further back problems.The 31-year-old's international career has been interrupted several times by stress fractures and he experienced discomfort against England on Tuesday.
A similar injury could not only put him out of the current series in Australia, but also the World Cup as well and he will now consult a specialist.
"He has a history of back issues, it is a concern," said coach John Bracewell.
"Shane doesn't know - and he wants to know, that's why we've got to get it checked out rather than second guess."
Bond is one of the quickest bowlers in world cricket, but has only played 16 Tests and 53 one-dayers since his debut in November 2001 because of injuries.
He began the triangular series in Australia by taking a hat-trick against the hosts - making him only the second Kiwi to do so in a limited overs international - and followed that by sending down eight tidy overs against England for figures of 0-29.
It was only after the game that his latest injury worry was revealed, but team management are hoping it will prove to be just muscle soreness.
"I'm always concerned when one of my players gets injured, and he is a key performer for us," Bracewell added.
New Zealand are already without two first-choice players with Kyle Mills and Jacob Oram both recovering from injuries, although Mills is due to join the squad next week.
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