Giles faces another long lay-off

Ashley Giles, the England left-arm spinner, is likely to miss most of the county season following the recent exploratory operation on his right hip in Vail, Colorado. He will be on crutches for another eight weeks and will consult specialist Mark Phillopon in Florence in June.

"The operation was more straightforward than the one I had last summer but I will be on crutches for longer," Giles was quoted in The Daily Telegraph. "At this stage I can't say how long I will be out of action, but it could be for most of the summer."

Persistent injuries, necessitating two operations on the hip and a third related to the groin, ruled Giles out of cricketing action for the whole of last season. He was recalled for the Ashes in Australia but had to return home after two Tests due to a family emergency. He has since been replaced by Monty Panesar as England's frontline spinner.