KENT pace bowler Amjad Khan looks likely to miss the remainder of the season after picking up a knee injury when dropping a catch at Headingley last Wednesday.

The 25-year-old Danish-born paceman further aggravated the injury - the result of downing a diving chance off Mark Lawson in Leeds - playing in Sunday’s Pro40 League game in Worcester and scans the following day revealed a slight tear to the posterior cruciate ligaments in his left knee.

News of the injury broke in Nottingham today where Khan was forced to miss the start to Kent's four-day clash with Nottinghamshire. It would have been his 10th championship match of the summer.

In confirming the set-back, Kent’s director of cricket Graham Ford said: “At first sight it looks a fairly serious injury and although we are awaiting further medical reports it’s fair to say that, at this time, it seems unlikely Amjad will play again this summer.

“Obviously we await more advice from our medical men, but at the moment Amjad has been told to rest the knee by keeping it in a brace.

“The belief is that complete rest now will lessen the likelihood of him needing surgery at a later stage.

“Clearly it is a huge blow for the team because Amjad has been the spearhead of our spearhead for our attack all summer. But it is also a body blow for Amjad himself and for his own personal ambitions.”

Khan, the county’s leading wicket-taker with 34 victims this summer, has shown year-on-year improvement since joining the county in 2001.

Born in Copenhagen of Pakistan parents, he will qualify for a British passport this winter and had hoped to complete a 50-wicket campaign for Kent and catch the eye of the England selectors.

A spot on the England Academy tour this winter, or an outside chance of winning a berth on the full Ashes tour of Australia now seem an unlikely pipe dream.