England fast bowler Darren Gough faces a battle to be fit for the Ashes after he was ruled out of the rest of the Test series against India on Friday to undergo further knee surgery.

The England and Wales Cricket Board also announced the Yorkshire player had been withdrawn from the squad to play in the ICC Champions Trophy in Sri Lanka next month.

Gough, 31, was due to undergo keyhole surgery later on Friday. It will be his third operation on his right knee, which he injured while playing in New Zealand in March. The Yorkshire bowler has not played a test for around a year.

Gough said in a statement: "This is a setback for me...But I know I can come back from this and at least I now have 11 weeks to concentrate on getting myself ready to have one last crack at the Australians in the Ashes this winter."

He had been selected for England's squad for the limited overs Champions Trophy, dubbed the 'mini World Cup' and a key preparation tournament before next year's World Cup. The Ashes series begins at the end of the year.

England coach Duncan Fletcher added: "Darren has an ongoing knee complaint...surgery is not guaranteed to completely cure it.

"Our medical advice is that a further operation to clean out the knee joint is the best option for Darren if he is to have a realistic chance of playing in the Ashes series."

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