Cricket: Corey Anderson sets sights on return to international cricket

Corey Anderson of the Black Caps. Photo / John Davidson.

Corey Anderson and injury are old, uncomfortable friends.

Now, his latest brush with a serious setback behind him, Anderson has his sights set on returning to international cricket.

The hard-hitting allrounder had to cut short a T20 stint with Somerset in England's domestic competition when he picked up a stress fracture in July, a recurrence of the injury he suffered on New Zealand's tour of England in 2015, with a slight variation thrown in for good measure.

He had surgery four weeks ago, has screws in his back for support but is doing plenty of walking, was back in the gym last week and is feeling upbeat about the future.

''I'm in a good space," the 26-year-old said yesterday.

''I'm glad I had the surgery, I'm active again and on the road to recovery. I'm excited for what's ahead."

He admitted the occasional ''demon" floated through his mind as he pondered his latest misfortune.

''I've always wanted to play cricket, that's never wavered," he said today.

''I'm not saying there's never been demons in my head but that's the way injury works.

''I'd be lying if I said I hadn't found it difficult at times but I have always had the intent to come back. That's where my head will be, at least until it says 'no'."

Anderson has played 13 tests, averaging 32 with the bat; 49 ODIs, at 27.72 and taken 60 wickets at 25 apiece; and 29 T20s, since his international debut in December 2012, a ridiculously small amount given his talent, and amply illustrates his injury issues.

Since his debut in each form, New Zealand have played 37 tests, 90 ODIs and 38 T20s.

That's a lot of cricket missed and the national team have been the poorer for that.

Remember his stunning unbeaten 131 off just 47 balls, with 14 sixes, off the West Indies at Queenstown, an ODI record for fastest hundred, on January 1, 2014; or more recently his rollicking 94 not out off 41 balls with 10 sixes against Bangladesh at Mt Maunganui last January.

There's no doubt he's a game changer, as Indian Premier League bosses have also recognised.

But he's also always been an allrounder and the idea of giving up his bowling to protect the back is anathema to the beefy left armer.

''If it did ever go pear-shaped I would cross that bridge when I came to it. In my mind I'm fully on track to come back as an allrounder.

''The whole point of having the surgery was to get myself back to full capacity. My role in the New Zealand side, and the best way to get selected, is to be that allrounder."

And Anderson isn't about to cut back his involvement in one form of the game either. He remains insistent the test game is cricket's pinnacle and that's where his sights are set.

''The dream if you're a Black Cap is to play test cricket. The feelings you have, and rewards you get from it, are hard to compete with any other format."

There's no time frame to return to the game and he certainly won't be cutting corners.
''It's pretty clear cut one of the hardest things to do is work to a time frame. When I'm ready to go and everything feels right, and the medical staff give me a clearance, I'll start moving into the cricket stuff."

Anderson is into low impact exercise and knows it'll be ''baby steps" first, but his determination to return is as strong as ever.