Hampshire captain Dimitri Mascarenhas could miss the first two months of the new county season after suffering an Achilles injury while playing for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.
The 32-year-old was forced to fly home last week after picking up the knock and now looks set to miss the ICC World Twenty20, which starts on 30 April in the West Indies
Hampshire manager Giles White confirmed: "The injury is a little worse than originally feared, but that's the worst-case scenario."
The all-rounder, who recently endured surgery on an ankle injury, has played in 20 one-day internationals and 14 Twenty20 internationals for England, including both previous World Twenty20 events in 2007 and 2009.