Simon Cook is the latest player to join Kent’s growing injury list.

Cook injured his thumb ahead of the last day of Kent’s LV= County Championship game against Gloucestershire on Friday, and an x-ray the next day confirmed it was broken.

It was the third injury Kent sustained during the game with Joe Denly also breaking his thumb and Robbie Joseph pulling a quad muscle.

Kent director or cricket Paul Farbrace said: “Simon did it in fielding practice before the last day of the championship game.

“The ball nicked off the stump and hit the end of his thumb. He’s had it x-rayed and it is a crack in the knuckle.”

Despite the injury which has left his thumb very swollen, Cook tried to play against Worcestershire on Sunday.

Farbrace said: “He tried to bowl on Sunday morning but he couldn’t grip the ball properly. He didn’t have any control of it, so he is out for a while.

“He’s probably not quite as bad as Joe, but a broken thumb for a bowler on his bowling hand is a nightmare.”

In addition to Cook, Denly and Jospeh, Kent are also missing Matt Coles and Dewald Nel through injury.