The Ashes 2015: Ryan Harris all but out of first two Tests as sore knee sees him miss final tour match

RYAN Harris all but ruled out of first two Ashes Tests after he was scratched from Australia’s final tour match with Essex due to soreness in his knee.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 28: (EDITORS NOTE: This image has been processed using digital filters) Ryan Harris of Australia poses during an Australian Cricket Team Ashes portrait session on August 28, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

Ryan Harris has virtually been ruled out of the first two Tests of the Ashes series, after he was scratched from Australia’s final tour match due to soreness in his knee.

It means an attack of Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will lead Australia’s bid to end a 14-year Ashes drought when the series kicks off in Cardiff next Wednesday.

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Harris was always under the pump to prove himself for the series opener, but being ruled out of the final pre-Ashes tour match against Essex in Chelmsford has put his entire tour and potentially his Test future in jeopardy.

The paceman has gone for a scan and the results will be sent back to CA headquarters in Australia for observation before it’s determined the full extent of his injury.

At 35 years of age, the Ashes could be Harris’ swan song, with a raft of young quicks coming through the Australian system — and now he faces an anxious battle to see if he will pull on the baggy green again.

Harris played against Kent but has been left out of the side to face Essex.

Coach Darren Lehmann has said that veteran Harris would need to show he can bowl 20 overs an innings before he’s considered for a Test match.

Australia’s next tour game won’t take place until before the third Test, meaning Harris has virtually been scratched from Cardiff and the landmark second Test at Lord’s.

That in itself could prove to be a major blow for Australia, given the nuances of Lord’s often make it a tough hunting ground for young fast bowlers.

Josh Hazlewood is likely to form part of Australia’s pace attack in Cardiff.

Former Australian great Glenn McGrath said a couple of days ago he expected Harris to come into contention for Lord’s at a ground where he could be crucial.

Australia will likely look for their in-form trio of Johnson, Starc and Hazlewood to carry them through the opening two matches, however if injury or fatigue came into play, Peter Siddle could also be called upon.

Harris took 24 wickets at 19 the last time he played an Ashes in England, and his absence leaves a big hole — even if he wasn’t in the first-choice attack.

Lehmann said all along that Harris would have to do something special to force his way into the team for the first Test, given Starc and Hazlewood performed so well on the recent tour of the West Indies and Johnson is still seen as the leader of the attack — particularly against England.

He hasn’t played a match since the Sydney Test in January, and had been put in cotton wool by Cricket Australia for six months in a bid to get him right for the Ashes.

Harris still rolled his arm over before play in Chelmsford on Wednesday, in a sign that he is not broken down.

However, the Australian medical staff deemed he wasn’t up to bowling 20 overs against Essex.

At this stage there is no suggestion of Australia calling in a replacement fast bowler, however there are several quicks currently in the UK playing county cricket — including Ashes tourist from two years ago Jackson Bird.

The scratching of Harris’ removes one selection headache going into the first Test, with the all-rounder battle between Shane Watson and Mitchell Marsh now the last remaining major talking point.

If Harris wasn’t to play Test cricket again it would be a sad end for an all-time Australian great, who has defied continuous injury setbacks to dominate for several years as one of the best fast bowlers in the world.

Originally published as The Ashes 2015: Ryan Harris all but out of first two Tests as sore knee sees him miss final tour match