Boland's Durham stint under threat due to heel injury

Scott Boland's first spell in county cricket could be under threat from a heel injury that resurfaced on his debut for Durham, and has since required him to undergo a scan.

Boland bowled 13 wicketless overs for Durham in the first innings of their high-scoring draw against Warwickshire at Edgbaston but did not bowl after the first day of the match. Scott Borthwick, their captain, initially suggested Boland's absence was precautionary but his injury has since been revealed as plantar fasciitis, a common heel injury among fast bowlers.

Boland's plantar fasciitis issue had been the reason for his delayed arrival in England which saw him miss Durham's first game. He has been omitted from Durham's 13-man squad for their third-round fixture against Worcestershire which starts at Kidderminster on Friday.

"Having had a scan, [Boland] is being assessed by the Durham Cricket medical team and Cricket Australia," the club said in a statement. "A further update will follow on this in due course." Early enquiries have been made over possible replacements in the event that he is ruled out for a significant period of time.

Boland is due to play for Durham until the end of July and his contract covers both the County Championship and the T20 Blast. But he is centrally contracted to Cricket Australia - despite not playing a Test since last year's Ashes - and they will monitor his workload throughout his time in England. It is understood CA's medical staff will continue to work with Durham on Boland's recovery after this latest issue as they are keen for him to play as much cricket as he can.

He was rested at the start of the Sheffield Shield season in the expectation that Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc would be rested at some stage during Australia's series against Pakistan, West Indies and New Zealand. But that trio ended up playing all seven matches, leaving Boland with a relatively quiet summer of six Shield games, plus four Marsh Cup appearances and three BBL matches.

CA continues to manage their centrally contracted bowlers with newly elevated Queensland quick Xavier Bartlett withdrawn from a stint in the Championship with Kent just prior to the season starting, although it is understood they were happy for him to play in the Blast.

There has also been consternation over the shortening of Nathan Lyon's stint with Lancashire after he initially signed to play a full season across all three formats before that was halved and then cut to seven red-ball matches only, following a conversation between Lyon and Australia's selectors about his workload over the next 18 months.

Ben Stokes spent two days with the Durham squad during their draw at Edgbaston, continuing to build up his bowling loads as he continues his return to full fitness following knee surgery in November. "Good couple of days at Edgbaston last week," he wrote on Instagram. "Weather been that bad had to make the trip up so I could bowl out doors [sic]."