Vettori fit for 1st Pakistan Test

Wellington:

Captain Daniel Vettori has been passed fit but fast bowler Kyle Mills needs surgery and will miss New Zealand's cricket Test series against Pakistan which begins at Dunedin next week.

Vettori returned from New Zealand's limited-overs and Twenty20 series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates on Sunday with mild concussion after being struck by a Mohammed Aamer bouncer and with an injury to his bowling shoulder.

The left-arm spinner consulted an orthopedic surgeon on Monday and New Zealand Cricket said scans showed rotator cuff damage, but the injury was minor and could be managed with physiotherapy and exercise.

Vettori's concussion is also slight and will not affect his availability for the first of three Tests against Pakistan from November 22.

Mills will undergo surgery within two weeks to fix a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder and tendon damage in his right knee, New Zealand Cricket said. A key member of New Zealand's one-day team, Mills was less likely to be chosen for the Dunedin Test in which Chris Martin and Iain O'Brien may share the new ball.