DURHAM received an early boost ahead of today’s Royal London Cup final when Warwickshire batsman Ian Bell was ruled out with a broken toe yesterday afternoon.

Bell broke his toe during England’s third One-Day International with India last month, and had been hoping to recover in time to line up at Lord’s.

However, Warwickshire’s medical staff were forced to admit defeat yesterday and the 32-year-old will not be considered for today’s game.

“I’m gutted to miss out on a Lord’s final and the opportunity to play in a second domestic final,” said Bell, who was part of the Warwickshire side that won the T20 Blast last month. “However, injuries are part of the game.”

The batsman’s absence will be a considerable blow to Warwickshire as they will be deprived of the services of the most successful one-day finalist in either squad.

While Bell has not made a single 50-over appearance for Warwickshire this season, he has played in four previous domestic Lord’s finals, never scoring less than a half-century and averaging 76.75.

He reached three figures when Warwickshire beat Somerset in the 2010 CB40 final, and made 65 as the Midlands county beat Essex to win the 2002 Benson and Hedges Cup final.

“He is still several days away from regaining full fitness, and a bout of tonsillitis has made playing on Saturday impossible,” said Warwickshire director of cricket Dougie Brown.

In Bell’s absence, Warwickshire will rely on former England international Jonathan Trott to support openers Varun Chopra and Will Porterfield, with the explosive hitting of Rikki Clarke likely to dominate the middle order.