Kabir Ali will miss the start of the LV County Championship season - and possibly a return to Hampshire in May - with a knee injury.

The former England seamer joined Lancashire at the end of last season, after failing to agree terms with Hampshire following his CB40 final heroics at Lord's.

His three-year stay at Hampshire was blighted by a knee injury and his Lancashire career has started in similar fashion.

Kabir may yet be fit for Lancashire's Yorkshire Bank 40 and Championship matches at The Ageas Bowl from May 22-26, but will not be available for his new county's first game of the season.

Lancashire cricket director Mike Watkinson told the Manchester Evening News: "We are hopeful it is not too serious.

“He jarred his knee in the foot holes during his time in Bangladesh. When he came back to us and started training indoors, it began to swell up.

“He went to see the surgeon for an arthroscopy midway through last week, and he will have to go and see him again. We’re hopeful it is nothing too serious.”