Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds has revealed he has been using painkillers for the past year after struggling with a wrist injury he suffered during the 2005 Ashes campaign.
Symonds had surgery to remove a piece of floating bone from his left wrist in June, but kept it secret from the Australian selectors because he did not want to risk losing his spot in the squad..jpg)
"I didn't let on that much to anyone about it. I didn't want to have a spell because I knew it would take time to heal and I'd be out of the side," Symonds told The Courier-Mail.
"I had a problem with it for a year. A bit of bone chipped off and got stuck in my joint. At times it was pretty sore and I had to take painkillers. It felt like someone sticking a knitting needle into my wrist."
The Queenslander had the wrist heavily taped last summer but refused to use it as an excuse for losing his Test spot in Bangladesh.
He says a remodeled backlift and grip can improve his game as he fights for the coveted No.6 spot in the Australian side with Michael Clarke and Shane Watson.
Symonds has his first chance to test the new technique when Australia starts a one-day tri-series against the West Indies on Tuesday in Malaysia.
