Chris Nash suffers broken thumb

Chris Nash, the Sussex batsman, has been forced to return home from the England performance squad in South Africa after fracturing his thumb during training.

Nash will undergo surgery next week and his rehabilitation will be monitored by the ECB medical team. No replacement will named in his place.

The squad, made up of players in three categories depending on how soon they are expected to challenge for international honours, arrived in South Africa last week and will be based in Pretoria until December 17.

The four category A players involved - those closest to an England call-up - are Michael Carberry, Stephen Moore, Mark Davies and Amjad Khan although the selectors have already moved outside the performance programme when they summoned James Tredwell to cover for Graeme Swann in the one-day squad.

Nash is a category B player which means the selectors view him as being between one and three years away international cricket. He earned his spot after scoring 1298 runs at 59.00 in the County Championship.