Nasty blow from Pakistan pacer rules Australia batsman out of entire series

Usman Khawaja suffers horrific knee injury after being struck by Haris Rauf

Devastating blow to Australia's Ashes hopes as star batsman ruled out of crucial series opener

Australia's hopes of winning the Ashes have been dealt a significant blow after star batsman Usman Khawaja was ruled out of the series opener against Pakistan due to a horrific knee injury. The 35-year-old suffered the injury when he was struck by a nasty bouncer from Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf during a tour match in Perth. Khawaja was batting on 29 when he was struck on the inside of the right knee, sending him crashing to the ground in agony.

The injury is a major setback for Australia, who are already without several key players for the Ashes series, including David Warner, Will Pucovski, and Josh Hazlewood. Khawaja was expected to play a key role in Australia's batting line-up, and his absence will be a major blow to their hopes of winning the series.

The injury is also a cruel blow for Khawaja, who has been in excellent form for Australia in recent months. He scored a century in the Boxing Day Test against India in December, and he has been in impressive touch in the tour matches leading up to the Ashes.

Australia will now have to find a replacement for Khawaja in their batting line-up, and there are a number of options available to them. Marcus Harris, who scored a century in the tour match against Pakistan, is the most likely candidate to replace Khawaja at the top of the order. Other options include Matthew Wade, who has experience batting at number three, and Travis Head, who can bat anywhere in the top order.

The Ashes series is scheduled to start on December 8 in Brisbane, and it will be a major test for both Australia and Pakistan. Australia will be looking to win back the Ashes after losing the series 2-1 in England in 2019, while Pakistan will be looking to win their first Ashes series since 1994.