Injured England paceman Finn out of Ashes

England fast bowler Steven Finn will return home within days after a knee injury forced him out of the Ashes tour of Australia.

England bowler Steven Finn

Steven Finn's Ashes tour is over after only nine days because of torn cartilage in his left knee. (AAP)

England paceman Steve Finn is out of the looming Ashes series against Australia because of a knee injury.

Finn will return home within days after suffering a knee injury while training in Perth last week.

Scans have revealed the tall seamer has torn cartilage in his left knee.

England is yet to announce a replacement for Finn, who was a late call-up to the touring squad to replace allrounder Ben Stokes.

Vice-captain Stokes remains in England awaiting the outcome of a police investigation into his role in a fight outside a nightclub in September.

Finn's injury further weakens the English tour squad, to meet a Cricket Australia XI in a day-night match at Adelaide Oval from Wednesday to Saturday.

Spinner Mooen Ali has also been ruled out of the tour game after suffering a side strain last week in Perth.

England coach Trevor Bayliss expects Ali to be fit for the next tour game, in Townsville from November 15.

The first Test against Australia starts November 23 in Brisbane, with Bayliss hoping the Adelaide fixture will settle some gaps in his likely Ashes team.

Bayliss says he's uncertain on one batting spot and another fast bowling option.

"We have probably got a batting spot to finalise and probably a fourth pace position ... so there's a little bit of competition from within which is good," Bayliss told reporters on Tuesday.

Bayliss said an added focus in Adelaide during the day-nighter was gaining intelligence on the pink ball to be used in the game, with the second Test to be held in Adelaide under the same conditions.

England have only played one day-night Test - a loss to the West Indies last August.

That Test was played with the Duke brand balls, with Bayliss eager to monitor the behaviour of the Australian-made Kookaburra pink ball in Adelaide.

He said the Duke ball against the West Indies played unpredictably.

"The bowlers ... weren't sure which way it was going, they were trying to move it one way and it would actually go the other way," he said.

"That is why we have got this (Adelaide) game, to see what happens with the pink ball and for our guys to experience it with a view obviously to that second Test."


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Source: AAP



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