Nottinghamshire suffer Pattinson blow

Darren Pattinson, the Victoria and Nottinghamshire seamer, will miss at least the first two months of the English domestic season after he was diagnosed with a stress fracture of the back.

Pattinson, 32, who played one Test for England against South Africa in 2008, had been playing domestic cricket in Australia when the injury was diagnosed. His 21-year-old brother, James Pattinson, who has claimed 25 wickets in his first four Tests, is also currently sidelined with a stress fracture in the left foot, though he is hoping to return to action within days.

Nottinghamshire are also looking for a new overseas batsman after it emerged that David Hussey was very unlikely to be able to fulfil his contract with the club. Hussey, 34, has recently been recalled to Australia's limited-overs side and has now set his sights on playing in the 2015 World Cup.

It is understood that Nottinghamshire approached VVS Laxman, who agreed a stint a couple of years ago only to see it vetoed by the BCCI, but he was unwilling to play Twenty20 cricket.

The club hope to have found a suitable replacement, a batsman who is available for the majority of the summer, before their AGM on February 27.