Ireland allrounder Curtis Campher to undergo ankle surgery

Ireland allrounder Curtis Campher is set to undergo surgery on his ankle, ruling him out of his team's World Cup Super League series in the Netherlands next month.

Campher, who was born in Johannesburg and grew up in South Africa, made his Ireland debut last year against England after opting to put his Irish passport to good use, and made half-centuries from No. 7 in his first two appearances while chipping in with the ball. He has since become a key member of the ODI side, offering balance as a seam-bowling allrounder in the middle order.

He has been managing an ankle problem for some time, and left the field during the Ireland Wolves' first unofficial ODI against Netherlands A last week after it flared up again, three overs into his spell.

He will now undergo surgery, with Mark Rausa, Ireland's head of sport science, physiotherapy and medical services, suggesting that he could be fit to play some part in the home internationals against South Africa and Zimbabwe later this summer.

"Curtis will have surgery for an ankle impingement issue that he has been managing for a prolonged period of time," Rausa said. "During last week's Wolves game at Oak Hill, his ankle concern had progressed to the point where he could no longer continue bowling.

"He immediately had the ankle scanned and saw a specialist today for assessment, where it was agreed the best course of action was surgery to hopefully resolve the issue long-term. Curtis will then begin his rehab immediately after in preparation for the summer home international series."