Meet the surgeon saving the careers of cricket's best fast bowlers

Fast, fearsome, and fragile were words often associated with former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond, whose promising cricket career was drastically curtailed by injury.

He debuted as a 26-year-old against Australia in Hobart in 2001, but it was in his next series, against Bangladesh, where he truly announced himself.

He took 11 wickets in two Tests at an average of 13, and it looked like the beginning of a long and lucrative career.

But Bond's back had other ideas. A stress fracture kept him out the game for almost two years from 2003.

A meeting with back surgeon Grahame Inglis offered him hope he could overcome his injury by undergoing a little-known surgery that is now commonplace in the fast bowling fraternity.

"If I can't fix this, then the career is potentially over," Bond said of his decision to undergo pars stabilisation surgery in 2004.

"He [Inglis] talked about a procedure that he had done, one on a New Zealand high jumper and one other athlete.

"He thought that the chances I came back and bowled fast were slim, but ... I was prepared to give it a go."

While other injuries limited Bond to just 14 more Tests before he retired in 2009, his back didn't trouble him again.

Last surgeon standing

Renowned New Zealand spinal surgeon Rowan Schouten was working with Dr Inglis at the time and said Bond was "patient zero in this whole story."

The success of that surgery laid the groundwork for a procedure that Schouten and his team have now performed on around 30 professional cricketers.

When surgeons in the UK stopped performing the procedure and Dr Inglis retired, Dr Schouten became the world's leading authority on repairing spinal stress fractures in fast bowlers.

"We were kind of left as the last man standing with experience on international fast bowlers and since then it's taken off essentially," he said.

"We're dealing with calls and connections from all around the world, from the UK, India, South Africa, Europe, Bangladesh, everywhere."

Bond still helps fast bowlers who have struggled with back issues and is often approached for advice.

He's coached Jofra Archer, Jason Behrendorff and James Pattinson, who all had the surgery and returned to play at the top level.

What is pars stabilisation surgery?

When a fast bowler is considering spinal surgery, like Australia's Lance 'Wild Thing' Morris did in 2025, it sounds like a drastic step. 

But Dr Schouten said the surgery was straightforward and "not that extreme".

It involves grafting the spine to stimulate repair, before putting screws and wires around the injured portion to provide stability.

"We've got a few little added components to it that we believe are important ... but it's a pretty standard technique," he said.

The injury, often referred to as a stress fracture, is common across sport and very prevalent in cricket.

Dr Schouten stressed the surgery is not a fusion, and most stress fractures do not need it.

"You need to preserve all that spinal motion that these guys need to be able to bowl full pace," he said.

If a player did opt to go under the knife, the recovery involves a six-to-nine month rehab program.

"Some stress fractures in some players become a recurring theme," Dr Schouten said.

"And then if you do that, if you have that two or three times in a row over multiple seasons, it can really disrupt a career."