Spearman out with broken foot

Gloucestershire opener Craig Spearman has been ruled out for six weeks with a broken foot as the club's injury problems deepen. He picked up the injury during warm-ups ahead of the Friends Provident match against Ireland last Thursday.

Scans revealed a broken bone and Spearman is now in doubt for the start of the Twenty20 on June 22. Steve Griffin, the club physio, said: "Craig has had an MRI scan, is currently in plaster and we will know more after seeing the consultant on Monday."

Spearman started the season with 249 runs in two Championship matches although his one-day campaign hadn't got off the ground with 67 runs in three innings. His injury will leave Gloucestershire even more reliant on Marcus North's contributions.

This is the second serious blow in a week for Gloucestershire after captain Jon Lewis was ruled out for two months following surgery to remove floating bone fragments from his ankle.