Yorkshire seamer Matt Milnes suffers recurrence of stress fracture

The 28-year-old bowler, who signed a three-year contract with Yorkshire last summer, missed the back end of Kent's 2022 campaign after breaking down with a lumbar stress fracture while bowling in a four-day game against Essex

Matt Milnes is set to miss up to six months of cricket after suffering a recurrence of a stress fracture in his back.

The 28-year-old bowler, who signed a three-year contract with Yorkshire last summer, was absent from the back end of Kent's 2022 campaign after breaking down with a lumbar stress fracture while bowling in a four-day game against Essex.

The original injury, he believes, was a product of his workload and transitioning from regularly delivering "30 overs in two days" between April and June to only a fraction of that while representing Oval Invincibles in The Hundred.

He spent the winter undergoing rehabilitation, telling The Cricketer in February he was "on track" with his recovery, before making his Yorkshire debut against Leicestershire on April 6.

^{Milnes joined Yorkshire over the winter from Kent (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)}

Batting as a nightwatch, Milnes scored 75 runs off 105 deliveries in the first innings as well as returning match figures of 4 for 134 during Yorkshire's three-wicket defeat.

However, after experiencing discomfort during the final day of Yorkshire's season opener, he missed his side's matches with Gloucestershire and Sussex, and a scan conducted last week has confirmed the reinjury of his back.

Managing director Darren Gough said: "Matt has worked really hard to get himself back and fit after a bad injury and everyone at the club is devastated for him at this time.

"The main focus is to support Matt and his family during this difficult period and give him all the support needed to get him back on the pitch as soon as he is fit and healthy."

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