New Zealand will give a fitness test to captain Daniel Vettori tomorrow after sweating for their opening win without him.

Left-arm spinner Vettori was ruled out of the seven-wicket victory over minnows Scotland after falling on his shoulder in Friday's practice session.

The 30-year-old has had a cortisone injection in the joint in a bid to face South Africa in a Group D contest at Lord's on Tuesday.

"Hopefully with 36 hours between games he will be fit for that," said vice-captain Brendon McCullum.

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"If not we have got to get our head around ways we can operate without him in that game against a very good side in South Africa.

"But we are all fingers crossed that we get such a good player, and our captain, back for the next game and the duration of the tournament."

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The Black Caps were given a major scare by the Scots, who set a 90-run target, but nerves were calmed when McCullum and Jesse Ryder shared a half-century opening stand inside three overs.

McCullum reserved praise for Ryder, who hit 31 off 12 deliveries, just days after his cousin was killed in a car crash back in New Zealand.

"It has been a pretty tough time for him given that he has lost a relative in a way as tragic as what we saw," said McCullum.

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"He showed an amazing ability to concentrate on his task and feel at home out in the middle.

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"He has been working incredibly hard and that was hopefully just a glimpse of what we see from him throughout this tournament."

New Zealand's big hitting eventually saw them home with a whole over to spare but fast bowler Ian Butler, who claimed three for 19 to restrict the Scots' scoring, admitted serious worry at the turnaround.

"It was probably the most nervous I have ever been in any cricket game, at half-time, and it is not something you really want to feel this early in the tournament," said Butler.