Cricket injury scare

Press, 12 February 1982, Page 20

Cricket injury scare

PA Auckland The leading batsman, Kim Hughes, threw a minor injury scare into the Australian cricket camp yesterday afternoon when he left a training run early to have an injured foot X-rayed. Hughes injured the foot during Australia’s home test series against the West Indies, but X-rays failed to find any broken bone. After a brief spell in the nets yesterday afternoon Hughes reported to his side’s manager, Alan Crompton, that the foot was troubling him and left the practice ground immediately for further X-rays. The Australian captain. Greg Chappell, said that Hughes had-told him the foot was “a bit sore” and that the X-rays were simply a precautionary measure. The Australian vice-cap-tain was not limping as he left the ground. Hughes is certain to be included in the Australian XI for the first one-day international against New Zealand, at Eden Park tomorrow.

His absence from the team would place a strain on the tourists’ top order, but it is likely, if the injury forces Hughes out, that the New South Wales batsman, John Dyson, would take his place. Dyson at present seems the likely twelfth man for the fixture as the Australians are bound to take their four fast bowlers into the match. The Australian team had a light workout yesterday afternoon on Eden Park’s outer oval.

The practice centred on the nets where most of the travelling 13 managed some batting practice. Chappell said that the team was “fairly fit” after a rigorous domestic season and required only a light workout to blow away post-series cobwebs. The Australian captain is still nursing a finger injury suffered during the West Indian series, but said he was sure to take his place in the slip field in tomorrow’s match. The other Australian player under an injury cloud, the fast bowler, Dennis Lillee, did not stretch out during yesterday’s practice, bowling only gently off a short run. Chappell said that Lillee was no longer feeling the groin strain which threatened to keep him out of the team’s New Zealand tour and was likely to bowl at full pace at training this morning.