Jacob Bethell's participation in the Test series against South Africa is in doubt following the recurrence of a knee injury which had sidelined the England star in the summer.
Bethell played through the pain barrier after suffering cartilage damage in his right knee during England's ODI series against India in July.
The 23-year-old underwent surgery in September to correct the issue and had planned to make his return to international duty for England's white-ball series against Australia this month.
However, Bethell was withdrawn from the warm-up fixture against Western Australia after suffering a setback in training, and he has now been ruled out of the Australia series entirely as he returns home to see a specialist.
England kick-off their three-match Test series against South Africa on 17th December, leaving Bethell little over a month to recuperate and prove his fitness.
If Bethell fails to return in time for the Test series against the Proteas, it will leave a vacancy in the England squad and we've assessed the three players who could step up to fill his void.
Ben McKinney
Durham left-hander Ben McKinney has been on England's radar for some time and the 22-year-old has done his chances of a senior cap no harm with an impressive 145 off 65 balls during England Lions' white-ball tour of West Indies.
Widely seen as a future Test opener, McKinney was in destructive form as he made a career-best score in St Kitts, reaching his century off just 43 deliveries - the second-fastest by an Englishman in List A cricket.
Putting pen to paper on an England development contract in October, McKinney had a strong season in the County Championship as he top-scored for Durham with 1044 runs at 52.20 in their Division Two title-winning campaign.
While new Test head coach Stephen Fleming and his staff may be unwilling to throw McKinney into the deep end, he would benefit massively from the experience of a Test series against one of the world's best teams.
James Rew
Another player to impress for the Lions, Rew's been eager to prove a point after missing out on a development contract, despite making his Test debut at The Oval earlier this year.
Last year Rew became the youngest Englishman to score 10 first-class hundreds in over 80 years, and the Somerset left-hander has continued to rack up the centuries with back-to-back hundreds in St Kitts this month, producing knocks of 101 and 107*.
In the T20I series against West Indies A, Rew struck 57 off 37 balls, and his form in the County Championship was also strong, accumulating 803 runs as Somerset finished runner-up to Warwickshire.
Ollie Pope
Could Bethell's absence prise the door open for Ollie Pope to return to the Test fold?
The Surrey star was recalled to the Test squad during the summer in Bethell's absence and Pope is set to feature with the England Lions for their tour of South Africa, which overlaps with the Test series.
Fleming may look to Pope's experience to supplement his England squad and the 28-year-old was in good nick during the County Championship, scoring 785 runs including two centuries and five half-centuries.
