Ashes hopeful Olly Stone is set for a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring problem.
The England paceman, who has had a luckless run with injuries, was forced off the field after pulling up when bowling for Nottinghamshire during their LV= Insurance County Championship match against Lancashire.
Despite being in obvious discomfort, Stone hobbled to the crease at Trent Bridge on Sunday as last man and kept out the last four legal deliveries of the Division One match to help his side salvage a draw.
On Thursday, Nottinghamshire released a short statement which did not give any further details of the extent of the issue, but said Stone would not be in contention for the opening Vitality Blast fixture against Derbyshire on May 26.
“Olly Stone will miss the start of the Vitality Blast following a scan of his injured hamstring,” a statement on the county’s Twitter page read.
“We, and England, will be working with Olly to get him returning to cricket in a timely manner without compromising his recovery ahead of a busy summer.”
Stone made the last of his three Test appearances in June 2021, but had made a return to some international action after recovering from a fourth stress fracture in his back and a broken finger.
The 29-year-old played in four ODIs and a T20 last winter, and was then an unused squad member during England’s Test tour of New Zealand in February.
Depending on his recovery schedule, Stones could now face a battle to be fit ahead of the first Ashes Test, which starts at Edgbaston on June 16.
