Zafar Ansari hopeful of early Surrey return but unlikely to face Nottinghamshire
Wednesday 6 April 2016 13:17, UK
Zafar Ansari expects to be back in action with Surrey in time for their second County Championship game of the season.
The all-rounder suffered an extremely unlucky injury towards the end of last season, dislocating his thumb just hours after receiving a call to the England squad for their series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.
Ansari was forced to withdraw from that squad, and his recovery over the winter was slowed by a second operation, meaning he will not quite be ready for Sunday's opening Division One clash with Nottinghamshire.
But the 24-year-old hopes still to be a major contributor with bat and ball as Surrey bid to follow up their Division Two title success with a good first year back in the top flight.
"The first few weeks and months were tough when you saw what you were missing out on," Ansari told Sky Sports News HQ when asked how frustrating his injury had been.
"I think after that you get used to the winter being something that has gone and you look forward to the new season.
"There has been little hiccups in the process [of getting fit] but I am hopefully not going to miss too much cricket - maybe a game - and that's really exciting.
"I'm starting to hit balls again, I'm starting to bowl properly and I am just getting back into cricket normally. Sunday might have come a bit too soon but there is a decent chance for our second game, here at The Oval [against Somerset from April 24]."
England have a busy summer with Test, one-day and Twenty20 matches against Sri Lanka and Pakistan on the schedule, and Ansari hopes he can do enough to catch the selectors' eye again.
"To know that you are there or thereabouts is a start. England have been good with me, they have kept in touch. [Spin bowling coach] Peter Such has been in throughout the winter working with me whenever it's been possible, so I do feel part of it," he added.
"At the same time if you do miss out on six months of cricket, you know you are going down the pecking order and going to have to work hard to get back to where you were.
"It's going to be a decent climb to get back there but you don't feel miles away."
