Shropshire cricket ace Adam Shantry heads Down Under tonight to continue the comeback he hopes will end the “the year from hell”.

The Glamorgan left-arm seamer underwent an operation on both knees in August after suffering chronic tendonitis, which restricted him to just one First Class appearance last year.

But his rehabilitation is now complete and he flies out to Australia tonight preparing to return to the cricket field.

Shantry will head to Sydney where he will join his brother Jack, who is also gearing up for a fresh First Class campaign with Worcestershire.

“As long as the flights are back on track at Heathrow, I’m getting the plane out tonight and I can’t wait,” said Shantry, who was formerly of Perkins in his Shropshire League days and also had a spell with Warwickshire.

“It’s been the year from hell in terms of injuries but the recovery has gone well and I’m looking forward to testing it on the field.

“I’m playing for a team called Ingleburn who play in the second level of First Grade cricket.

“My first game for them will be on January 8 when I will play as a batsman and then I will bowl for the first time a week or two later.”

Shantry will spend the next two months trying to return to full fitness – but has been left disappointed that the opportunity of playing a First Class fixture for the Welsh county in Shropshire will not become a reality.

Oswestry had been considered as a potential venue for Glamorgan’s Clydesdale Bank 40 fixture against Somerset, but the match will now take place at the SWALEC Stadium.

“I heard the rumour about that and it would have been perfect for me to play a Glamorgan game in Shropshire,” added the 28-year-old.

“If I remember rightly, I made my Shropshire debut at Oswestry and took 4-8 so it would be have been nice to have the chance to do the same for Glamorgan – but it wasn’t to be, ” he added.