Caddick to undergo back operation

Andrew Caddick is to undergo surgery later this month to relieve the back problem which ruled him out of international cricket this summer.

Caddick, 34, hasn't played for England since his matchwinning spell of 7 for 94 in the final Ashes Test at Sydney in January. He has been suffering from sciatica caused by a prolapsed disc, and is now expected to be out for a further three months. But Caddick is hoping to be fit and available for selection for England's tour of the West Indies, which starts in late February 2004.

Dr Peter Gregory, the ECB's chief medical officer, said: "We have tried strong painkillers and injections to try and relieve the problem without success, and we now feel that the surgical route is the only option available to us."