Astle to have knee surgery

Nathan Astle is due to have keyhole surgery on his right knee on Thursday, February 12, to remove a damaged cartilage. He is then expected to be in rehabilitation, and unavailable for cricket, for up to two months.

Lindsay Crocker, New Zealand's manager, said that the decision was reached after consultation between the NZC Medical Panel, Astle, and the surgeon, Paul Armour.

"Nathan will be operated on this Thursday in Christchurch," said Crocker. "He will then undergo a period of rehab that could be anywhere up to eight weeks. Clearly this is disappointing for Nathan and New Zealand Cricket. However we feel it was the prudent decision to make as it is better for Nathan in the long term if we address the problem now."