Australia has been dealt an enormous injury blow with star batsman Usman Khawaja in doubt for the start of the home Test summer.
It was confirmed on Friday that the left-hander will likely require surgery on his left knee after a training mishap during the second Test here. Khawaja went for scans late on Thursday, which revealed that although he has not re-torn his anterior cruciate ligament, he has suffered a meniscal tear.
The first of four Tests against India begins in Adelaide on December 6. The 31-year-old was noticeably limping when he arrived at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Friday. Khawaja twisted his left knee awkwardly during a throwing drill in Australia’s warm-ups on Thursday, with the injury sidelining him for the entire day’s play.
The left-hander has previously had problems with his left knee, tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in 2014 in an innocuous training mishap with the Sydney Thunder. The injury saw him ruled out of action for seven months. He is expected to consult a knee surgeon on his return to Australia to weigh up how to treat the injury. Khawaja has been Australia’s leading batsman during the two-match Test series with 229 runs at 76 and played one of the finest innings in recent memory in the series-opener to save the first Test.
Australia has also been managing spearhead Mitchell Starc through this Test after he picked up a hamstring niggle.