Sales nearer to Northants comeback

David Sales has been undertaking "rigorous fitness work five days a week" at Northampton, reports head coach David Capel

Northamptonshire are hopeful that star batsman David Sales will be fit to play his first match since September 2008 when the domestic season starts in April.

Sales, 32, who regularly tops Northants’ run charts, missed the entire 2009 season after undergoing reconstructive surgery on a longstanding knee ligament problem.

Sales originally suffered the injury on an England A tour to the Caribbean in early 2001, and suffered a recurrence when he ruptured ligaments in his knee 12 months ago during winter training at Wantage Road.

Northants physiotherapist Barry Goudriaan said: “Everything is going according to our plan. David is working very hard on getting back to full fitness.

“Actually, he is one of the strongest players at the moment because he has worked so hard.

“We are at a stage where David is over 90% of the way there and he hasn’t suffered any major setbacks from his operation. Everyone at the club can’t wait to see him performing at the County Ground once again.”

Northants head coach David Capel added: “David is progressing well through each stage of the recovery well and I am delighted with how his rehabilitation is moving forward.

“He is now batting three times a week and undertaking rigorous fitness work which involves training five days a week.”

In their former captain’s stead, Northants enjoyed one of their best seasons for many a year, reaching Twenty20 Cup finals day and agonisingly losing out on promotion in the LV= County Championship by a single point.