Fleming puts team first

Stephen Fleming: 'It's always in the back of my mind but that's life' © Getty Images

Stephen Fleming has put his own medical treatment on hold to guide New Zealand's World Cup build-up. He has experienced more problems with a growth on his neck, which he had previous surgery on in 2005.

He missed two of last season's Chappell-Hadlee ODIs, but this time opted for check-ups instead of treatment. There isn't concern that the tumours could develop into something more serious and the radiotherapy, which was scheduled before the series against Sri Lanka, would have taken him out of the game for the current CB Series and cut recovery close for the World Cup in March.

"We're in a holding pattern right now and I'm feeling okay about the decision," he told the Herald on Sunday. "I was supposed to have radiotherapy before Christmas as a preventative measure but now I've opted for regular check-ups instead - and hopefully everything will be fine.

"The big thing is to keep checking that there's no development going on under the skin and that everything remains as it should. It's always in the back of my mind but that's life and I just have to get used to it."

When the lump first appeared in 2005 it was quickly found to be benign, but after growing it had to be removed and Fleming underwent two operations. "I had moments when I got pretty twitchy. There were a couple of times when I felt a bit nervous. But a lot of other people and families go through far worse.

"In the end, it got to the point where it had to come out but I think we were all surprised about how big it was. That was the hard bit. Knowing that they were obviously alarmed but having to wait for the results of the biopsy."

It has certainly helped Fleming put cricket into perspective, along with his one-year old daughter Tayla Grace who has born a month after the first surgery. "I'm loving this part of my life but I'm also finding it terribly hard to be away from the girls. It's been full-on since Tayla arrived and I'm enjoying every moment - she's just got to the stage where she's standing and pulling herself up on the furniture.

"I couldn't think of anything more rewarding [than parenthood]. It really is great. It tends to put my cricket into context."