Craig White requires keyhole surgery ahead of England's tour of India to clear up the knee problem that has forced him to miss the one-day series in Zimbabwe. In a year notable for the frequency of improbable injuries to England players, White managed to injure himself by slipping in the bath last week. He will have surgery on Monday and is expected to be out of action for four to six weeks, which will allow him hardly any practice before England fly out to India on November 13.

"Craig is expected to be fit for India," England's media relations manager Andrew Walpole said. "The operation was scheduled for Monday specifically to give him time to recover."

White proved in Pakistan and Sri Lanka last winter that he is a key man on the subcontinent, thanks to his assertive batting against the spinners and ability to produce reverse swing. His importance to the balance of the side is even greater in the absence of England's only other recognised allrounder, Alec Stewart. If he were to miss the tour, England would have to bat James Foster or Warren Hegg at No. 6 in order to play three seamers and two spinners.

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