Tait forced to cancel Surrey stint

Shaun Tait, the Australia fast bowler, has been forced to pull out of his Twenty20 deal with Surrey after suffering another elbow injury during the IPL with Rajasthan Royals.

Tait was due to be Surrey's second overseas player alongside Yasir Arafat for the Friends Life t20 which starts next month but the club will now search for a replacement recruit.

"On behalf of Surrey I would like to thank Shaun Tait for the integrity he has shown in personally contacting us about his current situation," Chris Adams, the Surrey cricket manager, said. "A player having concerns about his ability to physically withstand a competition is never a good starting point, particularly with an overseas player.

"We will now take the chance to assess our other options for filling this role and we are confident we will have a replacement on board before we start the competition."

Tait now only plays Twenty20 cricket due to a string of injuries that have meant he's unable to stand the strains of first-class or even 50-over matches. He was part of Australia's World Cup squad but announced his retirement from ODIs after the tournament.