JONNY BAIRSTOW has been ruled out England’s final Test of the summer and next month’s T20 World Cup after a “freak accident” while playing golf.

The news came just a few hours after the official World Cup squad announcement, during which managing director of men’s cricket Rob Key had revealed that Bairstow would open the batting in place of the dropped Jason Roy.

More immediately, England must replace their form batter Bairstow, who attended St Peter’s School in York, for the LV= Test Series decider against South Africa, which begins on Thursday (11am).

Bairstow’s Yorkshire team-mate Harry Brook is likely to make his Test debut at the Kia Oval in the middle order, but Ben Duckett of Nottinghamshire, whose last five-day cap came in 2016, has also been drafted in as cover.

A statement from the ECB read: “Jonathan Bairstow has been ruled out of the rest of the summer and the T20 World Cup after sustaining a lower limb injury in a freak accident whilst playing golf on Friday in Leeds.

“Bairstow will see a specialist next week to ascertain the full extent of the injury.”