Former New Zealand cricket captain Martin Crowe has suffered a relapse of his cancer.
The 51-year-old first said he was suffering from a form of lymphoma in 2012 but after chemotherapy he said in June 2013 the tumours had been eroded and he was clear of the disease.
Crowe was, however, told it could possibly return, which he confirmed on Wednesday.
"After a brilliant year of self discovery and recovery I have more work to do," he wrote on his Twitter page on Wednesday.
"My friend & tough taskmaster Lymphoma is back to teach me."
Crowe told local media he had recently visited his doctor for back pain and was told the cancer had come back.
"You never beat lymphoma," he told Fairfax Media on Wednesday.
"But I was hopeful that after the first episode I might be clear for a few years; I felt very well.
"I will now have to have further treatment."
Widely regarded as New Zealand's best batsman, Crowe scored 5,444 runs in 77 Tests at an average of 45.36 with a highest score of 299 against Sri Lanka.
That was the highest score by a New Zealand batsman until current captain Brendon McCullum scored 302 earlier this year against India.
Crowe also scored 4,704 runs at 38.55 in 143 One-Day Internationals and captained the side during the 1992 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand where his innovative tactics and batting drove them to the semi-finals.
Hughes replaces injured Clarke for Pakistan ODIs
Top order batsman Phil Hughes has replaced Michael Clarke in the Australia squad for next month's One-Day International series against Pakistan after the Australia captain was ruled out by a hamstring injury.
Hughes, who was overlooked for the original squad despite scoring two half centuries against South Africa in the recent triangular One-day series in Zimbabwe, had been included in the Test squad to play Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.
The 25-year-old was already scheduled to travel to the UAE earlier than his Test team mates to spend time working on his batting against spin with the team's coaching consultant, Sri Lanka great Muttiah Muralitharan.
In and out of the team with depressing regularity in his Test career, Hughes only made the trip to Zimbabwe for the ODI series after an injury to Shane Watson.
The lefthander boasts a batting average of 37.31 in his 24 One-Day Internationals and will now have his chance to earn a place in the squad for next year's World Cup, which Australia are co-hosting with New Zealand.
Clarke, Australia's leading batsman, flew home from Zimbabwe with an injury that "a series of investigations" confirmed to be a "significant hamstring injury", Cricket Australia physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said on Tuesday.
After a one-off Twenty20 match on October 5, Australia play Pakistan in the three one-dayers before the first Test starts October 22 in Dubai.
"We are hopeful that he will be available for the Test series but this will be determined at a date closer to the first Test," Kountouris added.
