Cricket-New Zealand pace bowler Southee cleared for first test

LONDON, May 13 (Reuters) - New Zealand pace bowler Tim Southee has been cleared to play in the first test against England at Lord's starting on Thursday after scans showed no damage to his front bowling foot.

Southee was pulled out of the team during the drawn four-day match against the England Lions at the weekend in Leicester and sent to London for scans.

"Tim's fine," coach Mike Hesson told reporters on Monday. "He's had some treatment to his toe and we're very comfortable he'll be right for the first test."

Matt Prior, whose century in the third test against New Zealand in Auckland this year ensured England drew the series 0-0, was named England's men's cricketer of the year on Monday. He is the first wicketkeeper to win the award.

(Writing by John Mehaffey)

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Cricket-England bowler Swann has successful elbow operation

By Ken Ferris

LONDON, March 14 (Reuters) - England off-spinner Graeme Swann has had successful surgery on his troublesome right elbow and will now start a rehabilitation programme, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in a statement on Thursday.

Swann, a 50-test veteran, had to pull out of the squad to face New Zealand on the eve of the first test in Dunedin this month so he could fly to the United States for the operation.

The 33-year-old will hope to be fit when England host New Zealand in May and June before the one-day Champions Trophy and then back-to-back Ashes series against Australia.

"(Swann) has undergone an uncomplicated operation on his right elbow to excise excess bone formation that had re-accumulated following his previous operation (on the same elbow) four years ago," said the ECB statement.

"Swann will now start a six-eight week rehabilitation and back to bowling programme before returning to competitive cricket early in the summer."

The elbow had caused Swann problems since his first surgery but it flared up again in England's four-day match against a New Zealand XI in Queenstown.

He had scans on arrival in Dunedin and the results, having been seen by the specialist in the United States, confirmed he would need the procedure to "clean up" floating bone fragments in the joint.

"It is a huge year for English cricket and a huge year for me but if this means I take a more active part in it, so it's something I have to do," he had said before leaving New Zealand. (Writing by Ken Ferris; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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