Yorkshire and England wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow has been ruled out of action for up to six weeks after fracturing a finger on his left hand.
The 24-year-old suffered the injury when he attempted to take a ball from team-mate Liam Plunkett in the county's three-day friendly against Northamptonshire.
Scans have confirmed Bairstow will miss the first four matches of Yorkshire's LV= County Championship Division One campaign, which starts on Sunday when they take on Somerset at Taunton.
Yorkshire coach Jason Gillespie said: "It is a devastating blow for Jonny.
"He has been working incredibly hard to put in some strong performances for Yorkshire during the early part of the season to enhance his England credentials.
"It is a great shame for him and I know that he is really disappointed with the news."
Bairstow is expected to be back to full fitness and available for England's first Test against Sri Lanka at Lord's on June 12, if required.
Gillespie continued: "He will be working hard on his rehab and we remain hopeful that if the fracture can heal quickly he could be back sooner.
"It was an innocuous injury. In these circumstances Jonny would take that ball a hundred times without any problems. Things like this can happen in professional sport.
"It is how you deal with it that matters most and I know that with his positivity, he will be chomping at the bit to get back to playing for Yorkshire as soon as possible."