Irani flies to USA for surgery

Essex's captain, Ronnie Irani, is set to fly to America next week to undergo hip and knee operations. Irani, 35, flies out to Colorado at the weekend for appointments with reputed surgeons Marc Philippon and Richard Steadman.

Irani enjoyed an outstanding 2006 season for Essex, scoring 1075 runs at 59.72 in the County Championship, 379 runs at 63.16 in the C&G Trophy and 338 runs at 42.25 in the Twenty20 Cup. In addition, he led his side to success in the NatWest Pro40 and Twenty20 Floodlit Cup.

Speaking to essexcricket.org.uk, Irani said: "I'm going to fly out on Sunday to Vale, Colorado to see a Doctor Marc Philippon, whose reputation goes before him. Ashley Giles went to see him to have surgery on his hip and obviously he's now back and looking fit ahead of the Ashes.

"He will be operating on my hip where the cartilage has come away a little bit on the hip joint and maybe also looking at doing a microfracture on the hip joint itself. I'll probably be on crutches for eight weeks but I should be fit and raring to go for the next county season come April.

"My left knee has also been playing me up for the last month of the season so while I am out in Colorado I'm also going to see the knee specialist Richard Steadman and hopefully he will operate on my left knee simultaneously.

"It's all part and parcel of being a professional cricketer - perhaps this career should have a government warning: 'playing professional cricket can seriously damage your health!'."