YORKSHIRE and England fast bowler Matthew Hoggard has suffered a stress fracture of the foot and could be out for the rest of the season.

The shock news hit Hoggard after a nightmare week in which he had been released by England at Edgbaston and then not selected by Yorkshire in their Championship match at Northampton.

Hoggard was due to play Bradford League cricket for Baildon on Saturday and then return to Northampton to join up with Yorkshire for yesterday's Norwich Union League game.

But late last week Hoggard felt some discomfiture in his foot and reported it to Yorkshire's physiotherapy consultant Wayne Morton who arranged for him to have a scan which revealed the fracture.

Early indications are that the injury could take several weeks to heal and probably all season.

"It is dreadful news for Matthew and it is a bad blow for us because we were hoping to have him for some games to help in his build up for the later Tests," said Yorkshire captain, David Byas.

Also out of action for several weeks is Hoggard's Yorkshire and England colleague Michael Vaughan who has had keyhole surgery to remove a cyst on his knee.

Hoggard played in this summer's second Test against Pakistan, taking six wickets, but he has only managed five Championship games for Yorkshire. In the first at Canterbury he injured his back and was out for a few weeks and then against Kent at Headingley he was taken out in the middle of the game to join England's one-day squad.

He has taken 16 Championship wickets at 23.5 runs apiece and in all Yorkshire games has claimed 20 wickets.

England were also today sweating on the fitness of skipper Nasser Hussain.

Hussain will meet up with his fellow selectors later this week and urge them not to panic in the aftermath of their crushing innings defeat in the opening Test against Australia.

Hussain is due to visit a specialist today to determine the extent of the fractured left little finger he sustained during the innings and 118 runs loss at Edgbaston, which is expected to rule him out of the second Test at Lord's.

His thoughts, though, are likely to be dominated by his firm belief that England should stand firm and keep faith with their present side rather than make wholesale changes when the squad is announced next weekend.

Updated: 12:03 Monday, July 09, 2001