Bond back on park for club cricket

New Zealand cricket's $3 million-man, Shane Bond, will bowl for free at Christchurch's Elmwood Park today.

The Black Caps speedster will take the first steps on another comeback trail re-appearing for Old Boys-Collegians in a premier grade club match against Sydenham.

Bond, 32, has been the centre of sporting attention in recent weeks not because of his latest injury, an abdominal tear sustained in mid-November during the first test against South Africa, but because of his reported signing for the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League (ICL).

Bond's fee for a three-season contract is believed to be $US800,000 a year which is in excess of $NZ3m.

It is the first time Bond has been at the bowling crease since breaking down but he has been doing plenty of fitness work in recent weeks recovering from the muscle tear.

"I've been doing quite a lot of work in the nets and gradually building back up again. It's feeling good and a scan showed that it was healing well," Bond said yesterday.

If Bond comes through successive Saturdays of club cricket unscathed he is keen to rejoin the Canterbury team for its Twenty/20 campaign from January 20. The bowling workload in Twenty/20 is light with a maximum of four overs per bowler.

Whether Bond gets to play for the Wizards may depend on the outcome of his negotiations with New Zealand Cricket which are expected to be known next week. Bond is contracted to NZC but that organisation is toeing the International Cricket Council line about players who have signed for the breakaway ICL and discouraging their selection for national teams.

Thus Bond could be available for the forthcoming home and away series against England but not be selected because of a NZC directive.

That could also apply to the provincial line-ups with the Indian board, which is staging a rival Indian Premier League (IPL) in April, already frowning on former Black Caps with rebel league contracts Chris Harris and Daryl Tuffey appearing domestically for Canterbury and Auckland respectively.

The difference there is that neither Harris nor Tuffey is contracted to their provinces and are playing as free agents for match fees.

Bond said he would not comment on any of the negotiations he was in concerning NZC and the ICL but expected an outcome within days.

Source : http://www.stuff.co.nz/