Schofield on course for Twenty20 despite injury

Chris Schofield is confident that his hand injury won't prevent him from taking part in the ICC World Twenty20.

Schofield split the webbing on his left hand when fielding during Surrey's Pro40 victory against Kent on Tuesday and had to have four stitches, but his club says there is nothing to worry about. He even batted as Surrey moved to the one-wicket win.

"He was keen to return to the field," a Surrey spokesperson told Cricinfo, "but Alan Butcher and Mark Butcher didn't want to risk it, particularly with the internationals coming up."

He did, however, bat and made 11. "He batted really well - a little gingerly to start with, but then as the adrenaline kicked in he started to play his shots."

The stitches are due to come out around the time Schofield heads to South Africa on September 9. His international commitments mean he will miss the closing stages of Surrey's Pro40 promotion campaign, which continues in earnest with the floodlit match at The Oval against Somerset on Tuesday.

While Schofield is sad to be missing out on the end of Surrey's season, he knows it's for the right reasons. "It's not a bad thing because I'm playing for England," he told Cricinfo, "but Surrey have been brilliant and have given me every opportunity to express myself."

The change in Schofield's fortunes has been well-documented, but his inclusion in the England side still hasn't sunk in. "It was a massive surprise. The start of this year was a new beginning, like I hadn't been in first-class cricket. I've had lots of challenges in the last two years and now I'm about to face another big challenge."