Dillon out of Australian tour for ankle surgery

Fast bowler Mervyn Dillon was on Saturday ruled out of the West Indies cricket team for the rest of the Australian tour.

Dillon will have ankle surgery in Melbourne on Tuesday, the same day the tourists begin their final Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground trying to avoid a 5-0 series whitewash.

Tour manager Ricky Skerritt said Dillon could no longer endure the pain in his left ankle, originally caused when he stepped on a bottle thrown onto the ground at the Gabba as he was fielding in the outfield in the first Brisbane Test late last month.

Dillon has since managed the problem -- diagnosed as posterior ankle impingement -- taking 16 wickets at an average of 29.93, including 4-76 in the first innings of Australia's fourth Test win in Melbourne.

"Mervyn has done an amazing job to sustain his effort with the pain he has had," Skerritt said Saturday.

"He's had pain-killing injections directly into the ankle but he can't bear the pain any longer. It's continued to get worse."

Skerritt said Dillon's surgery was similar to operations carried out on Australian star Brett Lee and South African spearhead Allan Donald.

West Indies selectors hope Dillon will be fit for the South African series at home in March but his absence gives paceman Marlon Black and leg-spinner Mahendra Nagamootoo the chance to play in Sydney.

Dillon will be replaced for next month's triangular one-day series with Australia and Zimbabwe by former Test paceman Cameron Cuffy, who played the last of his three Tests against Australia in Adelaide four years ago.

The 30-year-old will arrive on January 7.

Mail Cricket Editor