Vettori bidding to return late in group stage

New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori will miss Sunday's World Cup match against Canada to rest his injured knee in a bid to be fit for a Group A match against Sri Lanka which could decide who tops the group.

Vettori injured his right knee while attempting a catch during New Zealand's 110-run win over Pakistan at Pallekele, Sri Lanka, on Tuesday and was in some doubt for the remainder of the tournament.

New Zealand team spokesman Ellery Tappin on Friday said medical tests showed a slight strain of Vettori's cruciate ligament.

"It's not a tear or anything significant," Tappin said. "He's in a rest phase at the moment. He's targeting the Sri Lanka game as his comeback."

Vettori's expected return for the Sri Lanka match is a major boost for New Zealand, which relies heavily on his controlled leftarm spin bowling and often stubborn batting in the middle order. The 32-year-old Vettori is New Zealand's leading wicket taker in limited-overs internationals and has been a regular in the national team since he made his test debut at the age of 18.

"The crucial thing is I should be able to continue on with the tournament," Vettori said, adding that there was still a lot of swelling around the joint. "I really want to play in that Sri Lanka game heading towards those quarterfinals.

"For me it's about symptoms and the sooner those symptoms dissipate the quicker I can get back on the field, which is what everyone wants."

New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill said there had been no decision yet on who would come in for Vettori against Canada or what the composition of the bowling attack would be.

He said it was a relief for the Kiwis that Vettori was still with the squad in India.

"In a sense that he's not going home, it's great news for us," Guptill said. "While it's disappointing we're losing him for one game - it's great to still have him around for input in training.

"Hopefully we'll get him back for the Sri Lanka game."

The New Zealanders rebounded from a heavy loss to three-time defending champion Australia to beat Zimbabwe and 1992 champion Pakistan in successive matches and Guptill said the squad was high on confidence.

Canada, which beat Kenya in its last outing for only its second win ever at a World Cup, is the next match before the New Zealanders finish off the group stage against Sri Lanka. Going into the weekend, Sri Lanka topped the group with seven points - one clear of New Zealand and Pakistan - from three wins, a loss and the shared point for the washout against Australia.

New Zealand had played one fewer match while Australia had only played three.