John Hastings' nightmare summer has taken another bad turn, with the Australian all-rounder now out of the Big Bash League because of knee surgery.
Cricket Australia confirmed on Thursday that the right patella tendon injury Hastings suffered this month in Hobart will need an operation.
The Melbourne Stars have also announced that fellow Victorian Jackson Coleman will take Hasting's place in their squad.
Hastings broke his finger in October and was out of action for a month.
Just before returning to the Victorian team, he was dropped from the one-day squad for the three-match series against New Zealand.
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Hastings admitted he was shocked to be axed, noting he is the joint leading wicket taker this year in one-day internationals.
He was then playing for Victoria in their Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania when the knee injury sent him limping from the field.
"Scans have revealed that John has a significant patella tendon injury and after being reviewed by a specialist it was decided that he will require surgery," Cricket Australia's Alex Kontouris said.
"We expect that John will require a long rehabilitation period after surgery and we will have a better understanding of his return to play timeframes in the coming weeks."
Stars coach Stephen Fleming said Hastings would be a big loss.
"John is such an important man to have around the club," Fleming said.
"We're all really disappointed that he can't join us on the field this season.
"We hope that, following surgery, he'll be around to help the younger players and play a mentor role during his recovery."
