Oxfordshire batsman Alex Jewell has suffered a broken thumb, which could rule him out for the rest of the season.

Jewell picked up the injury while keeping wicket for his club, High Wycombe, in a fundraising Twenty20 match against the Professional Cricketers’ Association on Friday.

The 24-year-old left-hander, who hit his maiden Minor Counties Championship century with a superb 130 in the recent 116-run defeat by Devon at Great & Little Tew, was due to be facing Shropshire at Whitchurch this week.

His injury is the latest major blow to hit Oxon this season following left-arm spinner Luke Ryan’s serious finger injury and Nathan Hawkes’s shoulder injury, which has left the pair sidelined for the rest of the campaign.

Oxfordshire head of cricket Rupert Evans said: “We have got to rebuild the team which we are trying to do, and it is unfortunate that quality young players like Luke, Nathan and Alex have been injured.

“It is making it quite difficult, but we will soldier on.”

Commenting on Jewell’s injury, Neil Pearson, manager of Oxfordshire Development XI, said: “That’s him out basically. It’s the same injury he did last year.

“I gather it’s a longitudinal split of the bone.

“It is very frustrating especially after the excellent score he got against Devon a couple of weeks ago.

“It is so frustrating for the player as well. We all feel for him, and he was obviously selected for this game on the strength of his excellent innings up at Tew.”

With Jewell sidelined, former Thame Town all-rounder Michael Beard, who now plays for Gloucestershire club Rockhampton in the West of England Premier League, came in to make his Championship debut.