England Test captain Ben Stokes is set to undergo surgery on a left hamstring tear and will miss all cricket for the next three months.
Stokes was left out of the Champions Trophy squad after another problem with his left hamstring coming in the series against New Zealand and will undergo surgery in January.
He missed out on four Tests after he was injured during The Hundred and has been ruled out of England's white-ball tour of India next year, as well as the Champions Trophy.
Stokes had bowled 66.3 overs during the New Zealand away series - his most in a single series as captain, while also bowling 36.2 overs in the third-Test defeat in Hamilton, his most in a single match since June 2022.
The 33-year-old tore the same muscle while playing for the Northern Superchargers in August and will now miss out on a stint with MI Cape Town in the SA20 next month.
"England Men's Test captain Ben Stokes has been ruled out of all cricket for at least three months after further assessments confirmed he has torn his left hamstring. The Durham all-rounder will undergo surgery in January," the ECB said in a statement.
"The injury occurred during the third Test in Hamilton, during England's recent 2-1 Test series victory in New Zealand."
England will hope to get their captain from late spring onwards, though their next Test is not until May 2025, when they face Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge.
They will also face India at home in a five-match series during the summer before they attempt to regain the Ashes in Australia over the 2025-26 winter.