SYDNEY, Nov 22: A knee injury has forced West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels to withdraw from this week’s third Test against Australia and return home early.

Team officials said the injury was not serious but Samuels would need to rest for at least two weeks, ruling him out of the final Test starting in Adelaide on Thursday.

“His MRI scans were encouraging since it confirmed no new damage,” team physiotherapist Stephen Partridge said.

Samuels has a history of knee problems and the latest injury occurred when he was struck by a delivery from Australian fast bowler Brett Lee in the first innings of the second Test in Hobart.

Samuels was forced to bat with a runner in the second innings and was unable to field for most of the match.

“It is disappointing that I am not able to complete the tour but this is an unfortunate situation and I need to heed the medical advice now so that there is no further damage,” he said.

Samuels scored a first-class career-best 257 in the opening tour match against Queensland but failed to make an impact in the first two Tests.—Reuters