County round-up: Broken rib rules Warne out for rest of season</i>

The Hampshire captain Shane Warne is likely to be out for the rest of the season after a MRI scan revealed a fractured rib.

The 37-year-old Australian left the Old Trafford field after tea on the third day of his side's drawn LV Division One County Championship match against Lancashire after aborting his 17th over of the match.

The Hampshire physio Andrew Nealon said: "It is too difficult to put an exact time frame on it, but it is a side injury affecting the eleventh rib."

Nealon confirmed that the leg-spinner will be out for a minimum of three weeks but with only four left until the end of the season it seems unlikely that he will feature again until the start of next season.

Warne still has a year left on his existing contract at the Rose Bowl having retired from international cricket at the end of last winter's Ashes series against England at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

He said at the end of his side's Friends Provident Trophy Final defeat against Durham at Lord's last Sunday that he will be back next year to honour his contract.