A leaping catch during a fielding drill for the Sydney Thunder has ended Usman Khawaja's season with the 27-year-old batsman set to undergo a full knee reconstruction next week.
Khawaja, who made the last of his nine Test appearances in last year's Ashes series in England, was due to play for the Thunder in the upcoming Big Bash tournament.
However, his hopes of a strong domestic summer to put him in the frame for a return to the international scene have been dashed after he sustained the freak injury on Tuesday night.
"It was really innocuous," Thunder captain Mike Hussey told AAP.
"I was right there when it happened. He went back on the boundary for a catch and as he landed, his left leg sort of buckled under him and that was it.
"It's really rare for such an injury to happen to a cricket player and I really feel for him.
"But he's a pretty mentally strong guy Ussie and I'll back him to return better and stronger."
Thunder general manager Nick Cummins said the loss of Khawaja would give one of the team's young batsman the chance to step up with 21-year-old Kurtis Patterson likely to play in Sunday's opener against Brisbane Heat at ANZ Stadium.
"We are very disappointed that Usman will not be taking the field for us this summer and we wish him well with his recovery," said Cummins.
"While his presence in the middle will be missed, he will remain with the Thunder and continue to contribute to the team with an off-field role.
"At this stage we will not be replacing Usman in the squad. We are confident in the group of batsmen we have assembled."
The injury to the Queensland-aligned player is a huge blow for the Thunder who have finished bottom of the ladder in the first two years of the competition.
They also recently lost English wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter to a career-threatening eye injury.
Kieswetter smashed his nose and eye socket after mistiming a pull shot in a county game for Somerset but recovered to play in the recent South African Twenty-20 Ram Slam competition.
However, he has since experienced difficulties with his vision and been ordered to undergo further rehabilitation by doctors.
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