Stephen Fleming: will not be heading to The Oval next season © Getty Images

Stephen Fleming will not be playing for Surrey next season, after the club pulled out of talks with New Zealand cricket when it was decided that his availability would not be sufficient to fulfil the job that would have been desired of him.

"It is obviously disappointing for us that Steve will not be involved next year," said Steve Rixon, the club's coach. "Unfortunately, due to his availability, he will not be able to do the job that I wanted him to do here. Consequently, we are now pursuing other options."

Fleming, who already has some experience of county cricket after stints with Middlesex in 2001 and Yorkshire last summer, would have been free to play almost all the summer, with New Zealand playing in a home Test and one-day series against Australia in March, followed by a five-month break before their trip to Zimbabwe in September, although the exact dates for that tour are yet to be confirmed.

The possible problem could have been Fleming's troublesome abdominal injury. Although it appears to have been better of late, he has been told that he might require surgery at some point, and the break between the two series next year would provide a perfect opportunity for that.