Wrist operation for Butcher

Ouch! Mark Butcher works out where it's hurting © Getty Images

Mark Butcher, who returned home early from England's tour of South Africa, has had an operation on his troublesome left wrist and will miss the start of the new season.

Butcher, 32, was recently appointed Surrey's captain, but will have to sit out what should have been his first matches in charge.

Surrey's official website (www.surreycricket.com) explained that the surgery involved reattaching a ligament in his left wrist that had been completely torn away from the bone. Butcher originally sustained the injury in the gym, but aggravated it in South Africa. He explained: "I started to notice that it wasn't going away. When I felt some pain batting in the nets I knew something must have been wrong."

Butcher is expected to spend nine or ten weeks on the sidelines, which would take him to the end of April. He is targeting Surrey's second County Championship match - against Glamorgan at Cardiff, which starts on April 27 - for his possible return.