England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been sidelined for up to three months after fracturing his finger while playing for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.
Stokes suffered the injury while fielding in Rajasthan Royals' season-opener against Punjab Kings earlier this week, completing a catch in the deep to see off veteran opener Chris Gayle.
Stokes shook his left hand in distress after climbing back to his feet before briefly leaving the field for treatment and, having already sent down one over, he did not bowl for the remainder of the innings in Mumbai.
He has an X-ray and CT scan on Thursday, which had revealed the extent of the damage, and will fly home for surgery in Leeds on Monday.
The ECB's announcement looks set to rule Stokes out of England's two Tests against New Zealand in June as well as a limited-overs series - comprising of three Twenty20s and three one-day internationals - against Sri Lanka.
He could be back for the white-ball assignments against Pakistan in July, with a view to being fully fit for the five Tests against India which get under way the following month.
