Slip in the bath proves so costly for White

Craig White is to undergo keyhole surgery to cure the knee problem which forced his withdrawal from England's tour to Zimbabwe.

The Yorkshire all-rounder was ruled out of the trip, which comprises five one-day internationals, last Monday after injuring his knee when he slipped in the bath. He has been booked in for surgery tomorrow to cure the problem and give himself time to recover before England set out for their Test tour to India on 13 November.

Andrew Walpole, England's media relations manager, explained: "Craig is expected to be fit for India and the operation was scheduled for Monday specifically to give him time to recover." The surgery, which was identical to the operation which Nick Knight underwent last year, is expected to keep White out for four to six weeks.

Mark Ramprakash aims to use a rare opportunity at one-day level to build on his positive approach in his Test comeback this summer.

Ramprakash, who has played only 13 one-day internationals and has not featured for over three years, said: "If you're a good player, you should be able to adapt to both forms – if you look at Australia, the nucleus of their one-day side is still the Test side.

"During the summer they won the triangular tournament with Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie and Shane Warne, which was the same attack they used in the Tests, and used them as the nucleus of their one-day side."

England are thinking along the same lines, indicated by the recall of Ramprakash alongside Matthew Hoggard, Owais Shah and Chris Silverwood – all players whose futures are expected to be in Tests. But their success in the short format will depend on their ability to adapt to the unique demands of international one-day cricket.