After suffering a stress fracture in his back, England speedster Saqib Mahmood will miss the remainder of the season, cricket chiefs said on Monday (May 16). He had made his Test debut in March this year against the West Indies.

In two Tests in the Caribbean, the Lancashire star grabbed 6 wickets in an impressive debut performance. Mahmood, 25, was expected to be in England's squad to face New Zealand at Lord's on June 2. However, the 25-year-old is no longer in contention to play in England's first Test match under Ben Stokes.

"After being diagnosed with a lumbar stress fracture, England and Lancashire seamer Saqib Mahmood has been ruled out for the rest of the season," said a statement from the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Fellow England quicks Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Olly Stone, and Chris Woakes are all currently out of action.

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No time frame has been set for the return of the injury-plagued young pacer. Saqib made his Lancashire debut in 2016. Since then, he has made 28 first-class appearances, taking 80 wickets at an average of 27.3.

The youngster had previously turned down an IPL contract from a side that wanted him as a replacement player because he wanted to focus on the longer format for his national side.

(With PTI inputs)