Floating bone continuously hampering pacer Harris' run-up

Australian pacer Ryan Harris's current knee concern is not related to excruciating pain or workload management, rather an old sting that keeps interrupting his run-up.

Harris is booked in for knee surgery at the end of the three-Test series against South Africa, which starts next Wednesday in Centurion.

The 34-year-old will miss the Indian Premier League to have fragments of floating bone removed from his right knee.

Harris said the injury was something ha has been putting up with it for six to eight months now, and added that he knows when it comes on, so I just have to flick the knee out and move the bits and it goes away.

Harris has little cartilage in his right knee, the legacy of previous injuries, News.com.au reports.

Australia trained at Centurion for the first time, the batsmen spending most of their time indoors in one-on-one net sessions with Darren Lehmann and Michael Di Venuto.

The pacers went to work in the outdoor nets, attacking a wet wicket.

Mitchell Johnson labelled Harris an inspiration for the way he has regularly pushed through the pain barrier in extending a late-blooming career.