Derbyshire County Cricket Club have confirmed that wicketkeeper Tom Poynton will be out for the season with the leg injuries sustained in a car accident which tragically killed his father, Keith last month.
Investigations by medical specialists have revealed that the 24-year-old's lower-limb injuries are worse than originally thought and will require a longer period of rehabilitation.
"We are all bitterly disappointed for Tom. He'll get the best possible support from our medical team during his rehab and will remain very much a part of the group," said the county's elite performance director, Graeme Welch.
"While it's a setback for the lad, he's a resilient character and a strong professional. He'll throw himself into rehab and come back fitter, stronger and more determined than before."
Derbyshire will now look at supplementing their wicketkeeping line-up for the rest of the season in the light of Poynton's injury setback.
They missed Richard Johnson through illness for their last match and currently have Dan Hodgson, of Yorkshire, on a month's loan.
Keith Poynton was killed early in April when the Ferrari he was driving, in which Tom was his passenger, left the road and hit a tree near Rosliston in South Derbyshire.
