By Mark Geenty of NZPA

Wellington, March 19 NZPA - Shane Bond might have been tucked up in his hotel bed in India but he still made an impact for New Zealand's cricket team today.

Key Australian allrounder Shane Watson was a late scratching from today's first test at the Basin Reserve due to a hip/gluteal injury, apparently inflicted by New Zealand paceman Bond during the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy one-day series.

Watson was replaced by young opener Phil Hughes as captain Ricky Ponting won his sixth consecutive toss of the series and chose to bat first under sunny skies in Wellington.

Bond, retired from test cricket and currently playing the Indian Premier League (IPL), struck Watson during the fourth one-dayer in Auckland.

"He got hit by Bond during the one-day series. He tried to pull it, if I remember correctly, and got hit there and it just trickled out to slip," Australian physiotherapist Alex Kountouris told reporters just before play.

Watson got through the fifth one-dayer in Wellington but the pain had increased.

"At our first training session he found it very difficult to bat and it was quite painful. He's got a little strain in that area where he got hit on his [right] glute, on his bum muscles, basically."

Kountouris said Watson was operating at about 80 percent, but not enough to pass him fit to play. He would be a good chance to return for the second test in Hamilton starting a week tomorrow.

"He was close to playing here," he said.

Meanwhile Queensland paceman Ryan Harris was passed fit for a test debut after being in doubt with a side strain.

New Zealand made one change from their 121-run win over Bangladesh last month, with 31-year-old Northern Districts paceman Brent Arnel handed a test debut at the expense of spinner Jeetan Patel.

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