Date-stamped : 09 Apr97 - 06:23 8 March 1997 Allott Waits For Backbone Scan by Geoff Longley A bone scan in Christchurch on Monday will reveal the seriousness of the lower back injury which ruled Canterbury left-arm pace bowler Geoff Allott out of the first test against Sri Lanka at Carisbrook yesterday. Allott, 25, has not wiped the season yet but he almost certainly out of the second test starting next Friday in Hamilton. Allott said he had been feeling some discomfort in his lower back for the past three weeks but was able to get through the 10-over demands during the one-day series. "I felt it again at net practice here and thought it was not right to go into the game when I might not have been able to bowl my share of overs," Allott said yesterday. While the injury could at worst be a stress fracture and sideline him for the rest of the season, he hopes it will respond to rest and he could still be available for the Shell Trophy final which Canterbury has qualified for at the end of this month. An X-ray in Dunedin showed some clouding around a vertebra and the bone scan will provide a clearer picture. Allott had several weeks off with what he thinks is a similar problem soon after the start of this season but returned to bowl aggressively for Canterbury and claim a New Zealand place. Allott thinks the problem has arisen again through a slight flaw in technique which is able to be corrected after the stiffness settles down. Allott was replaced by fellow Cantabrian Chris Harris who dashed down yesterday morning to again discover he was driving the drinks cart. Source :: The Christchurch Press (http://www.press.co.nz) Contributed by The Management (help@cricinfo.com)