Caddick promises a comeback

Despite being ruled out for the rest of the summer, Andy Caddick has insisted that he will play for England again. "I know what some people's reaction will be to the news that I am out for the summer," Caddick wrote in Daily Express. "At 34 they will presume I am finished as a Test cricketer. Well I'm not. I still believe I am the best bowler in this country and I intend to prove it in an England sweater again."

Caddick was diagnosed with a prolapsed disc in his back earlier this week, an injury which rules him out of England's five-Test series against South Africa.

Caddick explained that his back problem had been aggravated by the stress fracture he had suffered in his right foot. "I now have a prolapsed disc in my back which the medics think may have been caused by walking around with a cast on my right foot. While that has helped sort out my stress fracture, the imbalance caused by walking around with one leg an inch higher than the other has not helped my back."

However, Caddick pointed out that he had battled career-threatening injuries earlier, when shin splints forced him out of the game for a season. "I came out on the other side and fully intend to do the same again this time. Somerset and England have not seen the last of Andy Caddick yet."

For a role model, Caddick needn't look any further than his new-ball partner, Darren Gough, who has returned from several knee operations to play in the one-day internationals for England this season. Gough expressed the hope that Caddick would return: "He's been a great partner for me with the ball and I've been a great partner for him," Gough said. "I hope he gets back. I've always admired the way he has bowled throughout his career. He has tremendous talent."