Paul Franks is aiming to be back to full fitness by Christmas after a successful ankle operation last week.

The Nottinghamshire all-rounder had to battle through the pain barrier during the season to deal with the problem and went under the knife to remove a floating piece of bone in his left ankle.

This should cure the problem and with a clear period in which to recover, the 28-year-old expects to be 100 per cent fit well before pre-season begins.

He said: “The surgeon is confident that he’s dealt with the problem. He did show me the piece of bone, which was the size of a small pebble - so I can now fully understand why my ankle hurt so much.

“It’s always nice to hear there’s nothing untoward when you have an operation, so with a good period of rehabilitation, I’ll be back up and running by the New Year.”