O'Brien has scored over 1000 runs in Twenty20 cricket

Northants wicketkeeper Niall O'Brien will be sidelined until September after undergoing surgery on his finger.

The 28-year-old had an operation on his left index finger, which was fractured at the end of last season.

The Irishman said: "Although it's very disappointing to miss out, we came to the decision for the longevity of my career and the well-being of my finger.

"It was not an easy decision to make as watching cricket from the sidelines is a frustrating thing to do for me."

"Having said that, the squad have been playing some excellent cricket recently and it's great to see David Murphy come in and play so well in my absence."

O'Brien will miss Ireland's ICC Intercontinental Cup matches against Netherlands and is a doubt for the clash with Canada.

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