Cork, playing his first game since breaking down in Derbyshire's first championship match of the season, underwent surgery in Harley Street just over a month ago and was expected to be out of action for at least six weeks.

Last week, however, he underwent a ``fitness test'' in the nets, and decided to play in yesterday's AON Trophy game against Yorkshire at Belper. Opening the innings, he scored 55 off 80 balls, including seven fours, but at tea insisted that there was ``no way'' he was going to bowl in the match.

But when Yorkshire were 163 for one in reply to Derbyshire's 267 for seven, Cork had a change of heart and bowled five overs which yielded figures of four for 16.

Yorkshire were all out for 263 to give Derbyshire victory with four balls to spare and Cork admitted: ``I will know whether it was a good idea to change my mind when I see how stiff I am in the morning. If everything is OK, I want to play in the Sunday League game against Glamorgan this week and the NatWest game against Sussex on Tuesday.''

Pakistan all-rounder Wasim Akram, who was forced to withdraw his services for Lancashire for the rest of the season after only a couple of matches for his county due to a shoulder injury, has had an operation at the Middlesex Hospital.