Ben Stokes appears set for surgery on his knee injury after revealing he would miss the rest of England’s series against Sri Lanka.

The England and Wales Cricket Board have yet to confirm the news, with an update on the Durham all-rounder’s condition due after a consultation today to assess suspected cartilage damage.

But they will have to plan without the talismanic 24-year-old for the remaining two Tests after he limped off during the first, an innings win at Headingley.

Stokes wrote on Twitter last night: “Devastated to be missing the rest of the series, this has been a ongoing issue for 2/3 years which I’ve managed to play through until now...

“All the best to the lads in the rest of the series, see you down at @DurhamCricket in the crowd”.

England must decide whether his replacement Chris Woakes, a straight swap in an updated 12-man squad, steps in or they give a debut to an extra out-and-out seamer in Jake Ball. Both joined the squad last night, at the halfway mark in their Specsavers County Championship matches. Ball took two for 66 for Nottinghamshire against Hampshire but Woakes may have decisively staked his claim with a career-best nine for 36 as Warwickshire bowled out Durham for 190 at Edgbaston.

That prompted a response from England pace bowler Stuart Broad, who tweeted Warwickshire’s bowling figures under the words: “Oh wow @chriswoakes see you in Durham 2moro!”

Stokes’ absence will also require flexibility in England’s batting order – and Jonny Bairstow is open to promotion from his current number seven berth.

Bairstow, England’s man of the match with 140 and nine catches on his home ground in the innings victory at Headingley, has made a resounding success of batting at number five for Yorkshire over the past 12 months.

He said: “I’ll bat wherever.

“Number five is the position I bat for Yorkshire and keep wicket – so if that opportunity comes up, it comes up.

“I’m happy at seven.”

The caveat about keeping wicket is important, with Bairstow adamant he is committed to retaining the gloves rather than switching to a specialist batting role should the selectors be tempted at any point to return Jos Buttler to the Test team.

Questioned on that issue, the 26-year-old responded with evident exasperation when he said: “For the 52nd time in two weeks, I do want to keep wicket.

“As I’ve said numerous times before, I wouldn’t have kept wicket for Yorkshire for seven years if I didn’t want to keep wicket for England.

“I’ll continue to work hard. I wouldn’t have put the hours in before Dubai – before South Africa, in South Africa, leading into this season – if I didn’t want to keep wicket.”

Bairstow served notice of his improvement in a one-day international at Chester-le-Street last summer.