YORKSHIRE expect Joe Root to be out of action for around six weeks with his broken right thumb.

The top order batsman has been ruled out of England’s forthcoming World Twenty20 campaign having been hit by a Ravi Rampaul delivery in last week’s one-day international in the West Indies. His thumb was shattered in eight places.

Director of cricket Martyn Moxon delivered the news at Headingley yesterday, on the eve of Yorkshire’s two-week preseason tour of Sri Lanka.

Six weeks on the sidelines would rule Root out of the first two LV= County Championship matches of the summer against Somerset at Taunton and Northamptonshire at Headingley.

He would then be available for two Championship matches before the start of England’s international summer on May 9.

“All I know is that he’s probably going to be out for six weeks,”

said Moxon. “The thumb’s badly damaged, and it’s disappointing for him given that he was in some pretty good form.

“The important thing is that if his thumb is in eight pieces, they all stick back together. I’m not party to the details of what treatment’s required, but I’m confident there won’t be any complications.”

Yorkshire, who are taking an 18-man squad to Sri Lanka minus the rested York-based Jonny Bairstow and Alex Lees, also expect young fast bowler James Wainman to be out for six weeks with a stress fracture in his right foot. He picked up that injury recently while playing club cricket in South Africa.

Captain Andrew Gale has also not fully recovered from the hip injury that reoccurred during his spell of winter grade cricket in Australia, although he is hopeful of playing some part in the matches on the tour. There is no concern over his fitness for the start of the Championship season on April 13.

Yorkshire squad: Gale (capt), Ashraf, Ballance, Brooks, Coad, Hodd, Hodgson, Leaning, Lyth, Patterson, Plunkett, Pyrah, Rafiq, Rashid, Rhodes, Robinson, Sidebottom, Tattersall.

• THE White Rose county have announced that international accountancy company Mazars will be their new principal sponsor for the next two years in a deal thought to be worth around £400,000.

They replace car company JCT600, who have sponsored Yorkshire since the start of the 2011 season. Mazars have an option for a third year in 2016.

Their branding will appear on Yorkshire’s shirts for the LV= County Championship, the Royal London one-day Cup and the NatWest T20 Blast.

It is a major boost for the White Rose county, who revealed losses of £600,000 earlier this month for 2013.