Nathan Astle

Wellington, Jan. 31 (AFP): Injuries have hit the New Zealand cricket trials, ahead of the tour by South Africa. There is a question mark over the fitness of batsman Nathan Astle and Jeff Wilson is ruled out of contention.

Selection manager Sir Richard Hadlee named an extended squad for the Island of Origin match on February 8, with one player to cover for Astle in case he does not fully recover from the knee injury which kept him out of the recent Pakistan series.

At the end of the game, New Zealand coach John Bracewell is to name the side for the first ODI against South Africa in Auckland on February 13.

Astle is New Zealand’s most accomplished one-day batsman with 13 centuries and holder of the world record for scoring the fastest Test double century.

Rain washed out two recent provincial matches in which the 32-year-old was to test the leg, preventing the New Zealand cricket medical panel from being able to properly assess his recovery.

Double All Black Wilson, who retired from rugby two years ago, had been tipped to return to the New Zealand cricket team he last represented in the early 1990s. But he has been plagued by a leg problem and was not considered for the trial because of injury.