Dan Lawrence to miss Northamptonshire clash with hamstring injury

The England batter will undergo "a short recovery period" after picking up the problem in Essex's defeat by Warwickshire last week

Dan Lawrence will miss Essex's upcoming LV= Insurance Championship clash with Northamptonshire and will undergo "a short recovery period" after picking up a hamstring injury last week.

The England batter sustained the problem during the second day of his side's 10-wicket defeat by Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

Lawrence subsequently batted at No.7 in the second innings – and with a runner – in making 44 off 105 deliveries as Essex looked to repel last year's county champions, ultimately in vain.

The injury occurred when Essex were in the field as Lawrence chased after a ball.

An MRI scan confirmed the injury, though the prognosis provided by Essex appears to be better than first feared when head coach Anthony McGrath declared: "Hopefully it's not as bad as it at first felt."

^{Lawrence has struggled for big runs in the opening rounds of the season (Harry Trump/Getty Images)}

Lawrence ended England's winter as the incumbent at No.4 but has failed to pass 44 in any of his five innings so far since the domestic summer got underway, with several players – not least Ollie Pope, Josh Bohannon, James Bracey and Harry Brook – in the runs and vying for his place.

The Essex man is far from England's only injury concern; Craig Overton nursed a bruised toe in Somerset's loss against Surrey, while Matt Fisher and Alex Lees are suffering from back issues.