England pacer Steve Finn’s Ashes tour has come to an early end after confirmation that he had torn his left-knee cartilage.

This is the second time that the 28-year-old has had to pack his bags early in an Ashes tour Down Under after he had been sent back during the 2013-14 tour.

The Middlesex bowler had suffered the injury while batting in the nets last week but had been given a week by the England team management to prove his fitness.

After initial scans had remained inconclusive, further scans have revealed a major problem and the bowler is expected to see a specialist in England upon his arrival to assess if he requires a knee surgery.

England meanwhile released a statement which said: “Steven Finn will miss the remainder of England’s tour of Australia after scans revealed he has a torn left knee cartilage.”

“The Middlesex seamer will now return to the UK in the next 48 hours where he will meet a knee specialist to ascertain whether he will have an operation. England will announce his replacement for the rest of the tour in due course,” it added.

Finn was himself a replacement for England’s suspended vice-captain Ben Stokes on the Ashes tour and it is believed that Liam Plunkett, Tom Curran and Tom Helm remain in contention to replace the Middlesex bowler.

England are set to take on a Cricket Australia XI at the Adelaide Oval in a warm-up game starting on Wednesday. The Ashes begins in earnest on November 23 with the first Test at the Gabba in Brisbane.