Rory Burns out for four months after undergoing surgery on ankle ligament injury

Burns ruptured ligaments in his left ankle playing football 24 hours before the start of the second Test match in South Africa and has since flown home for surgery

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England batsman Rory Burns has been ruled out of action for up to four months.

Burns ruptured ligaments in his left ankle playing football 24 hours before the start of the second Test match in South Africa and has since flown home for surgery.

He underwent a successful operation on Monday, and will now miss the tour of Sri Lanka in March.

Burns intends to be fit enough to start the new County Championship season with his club, Surrey, at the beginning of April.

The 29-year-old has established himself as England's first-choice opening batsman over the course of the past 12 months, having made his debut in Sri Lanka in November 2018.

^{Keaton Jennings is in line to fill in for Burns in Sri Lanka}

He has accumulated two Test centuries and six further fifties from his 26 innings so far in the format.

Burns' absence from the squad in Sri Lanka - a tour which takes place during March - opens the door for a return for Lancashire batsman Keaton Jennings.

Jennings has struggled to establish himself as a long-term option for England at the top of the order, but his record on the subcontinent is impressive - both of his Test centuries came in South Asia, where he averages 44.44.

Furthermore, Jennings offers England a hugely reliable option at short leg, a hugely important fielding position on the turning pitches of Colombo and Galle.

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