By Gordon Bell
RUSTENBURG (Reuters) - New Zealand's vice-captain Tim Brown has lost a race to be fit to face Slovakia in the team's first World Cup match, but should be ready for the next two Group F games, coach Ricki Herbert said on Monday.
Midfielder Brown only arrived in South Africa last week after surgery to fix a shoulder broken in the warm-up against Australia on May 24 and was always doubtful for Tuesday's match.
New Zealand, ranked a lowly 78th and in only their second World Cup, face defending champions Italy on June 20 and Paraguay on June 24.
(Reporting by Gordon Bell; Editing by Patrick Johnston)
