England all-rounder Ben Stokes is likely to miss the upcoming Ashes tour of Australia after undergoing surgery.
The 30-year-old has had a second operation on an injured finger that he first broke while playing in the Indian Premier League in April.
Stokes was already in doubt to head Down Under for the December-January series after taking a break from cricket for mental health reasons in July.
The England and Wales Cricket Board released a statement detailing Stokes' recovery plan but made no mention of his availability for the Ashes series.
"Stokes had two screws and scar tissue removed from the index finger of his left hand," the statement read.
"He will now undergo an intensive period of rehabilitation for the next four weeks under the supervision of the ECB's medical team."
Despite the first Test between Australia and England being scheduled for the Gabba on December 8, there is still no confirmation the visitors will tour because of possible COVID-19 regulations.
However, talks between the Australian government, Cricket Australia and the ECB have been positive around sorting suitable conditions for the travelling England party.
Former England captain and current commentator Michael Vaughan 'guaranteed' that the visitors would field a side come December, but it might not be at full-strength.
"The Ashes will happen, I have no doubt about that," he told Fox Cricket.
"Whether it is with a full-strength England side I’m not too sure, there may be one or two players that are a part of all formats that might drop out and I’d understand that.
"Whichever team arrives in Australia – and there will be a team, I can guarantee you that – it’s not going to be easy for the England team."
THE ASHES 2021/22 SCHEDULE
At this stage, the first match between Australia and England is scheduled to begin on December 8th at The Gabba in Brisbane.
From there the sides will meet in Adelaide, before moving to Melbourne for the annual Boxing Day Test and Sydney for the New Year's Test.
The series will wrap up in Perth, with the final match beginning on January 14th.
See below for the full schedule for the 2021/22 Ashes series.
| DATE | VENUE |
| December 8-12 | The Gabba, Brisbane |
| December 16-20 | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide |
| December 26-30 | Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne |
| January 5-9 | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney |
| January 14-18 | Perth Stadium, Perth |