FORMER West Indies Under-19 captain Andre Creary says he is recovering well from surgery done last September to remove a cyst-like lump from his hip joint.

The stylish right-hander was recently seen at the Sabina Park ground undergoing light training and he told the Sunday Observer he is well on his way to full fitness.

“I have been getting stronger over the past month and I’ve been doing some running… I’ve done some gym work, physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and some batting and bowling indoors,” he said.

“I’ll soon be ready to play (competitive) cricket and I’ll be having preparation camps in the High Performance Centre (HPC) academy programme.”

The HPC programme was opened in Barbados in June 2010 as the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) move to improve the level of the sport in the region.

Creary was one of two Jamaicans — along with all-rounder Nkrumah Bonner — selected for participation in the programme, but his spell was curtailed when Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans revealed the lump.

He subsequently missed out on the HPC’s participation in the regional 50-overs competition late last year. Despite Creary’s absence, the team performed creditably, but failed to progress beyond the group stage after two of their three preliminary games ended in no-results due to rain.

Though happy that he is now able to train, Creary says he sometimes experiences slight discomfort, but explained that his physiotherapist has put that down to him being short of practice.

“There is some discomfort at times and batting for long periods causes discomfort in the back area, but I’ve been told it’s nothing to worry about, and that it is expected because of me being out for so long. The physiotherapist is saying it happens because the area is not strong enough so I need to do some strength work in those areas,” said the 20-year-old.

Seen by many cricket followers as one with genuine potential, Creary was named in a weakened West Indies Test squad to face the touring Banglades his in 2009 after the senior players went on strike, but he had to pull out because of a groin strain.

Though he led the regional team to third place at the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Youth World Cup in New Zealand early last year, it is believed he was also hampered throughout that tournament with the lingering groin injury.

While confirming that the groin problem that he had then is different to the one which led to the surgery last September, Creary said he is looking forward to having a fruitful programme in 2011.

“We all have injuries and it was best for me to get rid of those issues before I’m in my peak. Now I’m looking forward to the HPC this year because it was frustrating missing out on most of last year’s programme,” he said.