Andrew Caddick to undergo back surgery

England and Somerset pace bowler Andrew Caddick has received yet another setback at the end of a season he would no doubt like to forget. The 34 year-old ended the Ashes series in style as his seven for 94 in the Sydney Test helped to set up England's victory. However, after the World Cup he played only one first-class match and one National League encounter before suffering a stress fracture in his right foot.

Having been ruled out for six weeks, it was then found that he was suffering from a prolapsed disc causing sciatica. This meant that he would miss the rest of this season while medication was tried to ease the problem. It did not. Now the ECB's chief medical officer, Dr Peter Gregory, said: "We have tried strong painkillers and injections to try and relieve the problem without success and we now feel that the surgical route is the only option available to us."

Caddick will undergo surgery as soon as possible as it means he will be out of action for three months, but he still has hopes of being fully recovered in time for England's tour of the West Indies which begins in February.