Butcher says he will be on crutches for another three or four weeks

Surrey's Mark Butcher has rubbished reports his career may be over, and insists he wants to play on for years.

Butcher, 36, missed the majority of last season with a serious knee injury but says his pre-injury form had been his best for several years.

The former England Test opener told BBC London 94.9: "Hopefully there's many seasons to look forward to.

"The great thing about it is that I've proved I can still play the way that I know that I can, and want, to play."

Butcher played in 71 Tests for England, averaging 34.58, but has not featured since the tour to South Africa in 2004, when he was struggling with a wrist injury.

The left-hander averaged 57.88 in the 10 County Championship matches he played at the start of the 2008 season before succumbing to injury.

He added: "From the time I had the problems with the wrist, and from playing for England, I haven't played that well for four or five years maybe.

[The knee] has reacted well to the surgery. The surgery was absolutely necessary; the knee had really started to disintegrate in terms of the joint. Mark Butcher

"I'd started to wonder whether that was going to be it, whether I was going to be scratching around for the rest of my career and would I enjoy doing that.

"There are all kind of things to look forward to next year. There will be a new coach and a new relationship to strike up there, there are some players with points to prove and there's young guys wanting to break through.

"There's a few questions to be answered in terms of the way that people have viewed the club and the players in the last 12 months or so and hopefully [we'll have] a chance to put that right."

Surrey were relegated to Division Two after failing to win a game in the County Championship and sacked coach Alan Butcher, but Butcher junior says he hopes for a full recovery from surgery on his knee having failed to return last season.

He said: "It's reacted well to the surgery. The surgery was absolutely necessary; the knee had really started to disintegrate in terms of the joint.

"There were great craters where the bone was missing and were there was no cartilage left, so all of that needed sorting out and, fingers crossed, we are on schedule at the moment.

"The recovery is going perfectly well, I'm hobbling on crutches and will be for the next three or four weeks.

"In the summer, the decision was made to try and get me back playing in the season.

"Obviously if I had this procedure done in June I wouldn't have even been thinking about coming back and playing and I suppose in hindsight it's made no difference because I didn't play anyway.

"I felt that it deserved to be given a go, I wanted to get back and play last summer and if there was a chance of that happening I was willing to take it.

"As it happened things didn't work out but at least now I have the opportunity to be absolutely 100% fit and ready for the beginning of next season."

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