Somerset and England batter Tom Banton faces up to a month on the sidelines after breaking his finger.
Banton remains a relatively new figure on the international scene having played 14 T20 and six one-day internationals since he burst on to the scene with a prolific 2019 season.
The Somerset opener made his England debut in November of that year, and was included on the most recent tour of the West Indies this winter, where he played five times, scoring one half-century.
However, he now faces a spell on the sidelines after a sustaining a broken finger in a warm up game.
“I’ve just broken my finger so I’ll be out for a month,” Banton told the PA news agency.
“Pre-season on the second day in the slips I dived to my left and I dropped it (the ball). I’ve had a few X-rays and it’s fractured so I’ve just seen a specialist and they’re advising a few weeks off because if I do it again I might need an operation.
“This is my second finger I’ve done, so (it’s) not ideal.”
The LV= Insurance County Championship starts on Thursday and Banton was left disappointed after targeting an improvement in long format cricket over the winter.
“Being realistic, my red ball is probably not where it needs to be (but) I feel like it’s definitely improving,” he said.
“I feel like I’ve come back as a new player this year. I’ve worked on a few things in the winter technically and a lot of things have changed, which I’ve seen the rewards (of) through pre-season.
“So hopefully I can take that into when I’m back playing.”
The England youngster was retained by Welsh Fire in an announcement earlier today, with Banton going at the highest price point of £125,000.
He will be joined in Cardiff by Joe Clarke, who was the first pick, while Australian spinner Adam Zampa and South African batter David Miller will also be heading to Cardiff as the overseas signings alongside Pakistan paceman Naseem Shah.
Banton believes impressing at The Hundred can be important for England selection, with the T20 World Cup taking place this year and the 50-over World Cup next year.
He added: “I think it’s huge. For me I’m not putting too much pressure on myself to be telling myself I have to score runs every game to get into that England team.
“For me it’s if I work hard, the game will respect you and you should do well more times than not.
“Obviously the teams are very good as well, so I’m not going to play. It’s probably more when the boys are injured or guys come to the end of their career then hopefully I can step in and give it my best shot.
“So hopefully I want to be ready for if that day does come around.”
