Usman Khawaja briefly hands Australia another World Cup scare before recovering to open batting

The left-hander had already narrowly escaped more serious injury on Wednesday after being struck on the jaw by a bouncer from Andre Russell

Usman Khawaja's eventful preparation for the World Cup continued at Southampton against Sri Lanka on Monday.

He was struck on the knee by the ball as he dived to field a stroke from Jeevan Mendis at mid-off following a delivery from Steve Smith. He immediately called for medical attention, before limping from the field.

Initially, there were fears that the blow might be more problematic, with the batsman having previously suffered from knee issues, including a torn anterior cruciate ligament injury suffered in 2014 while participating in a fielding drill with his Sydney Thunder Big Bash franchise.

However, he later emerged to open the batting alongside Aaron Finch - as planned - as Australia set about chasing down Sri Lanka's target of 239 for eight.

^{Khawaja was fielding the ball after a Jeevan Mendis shot.}

The left-hander narrowly escaped more serious injury on Wednesday after being struck on the jaw by a bouncer from Andre Russell as Australia took on the West Indies in a warm-up match for the tournament.

After being visibly shaken by the blow, he left the field and retired hurt, unbeaten on five from seven deliveries.

However, he was deemed fit enough to take on England three days later. He made 31 on that occasion as Australia defeated the hosts by 12 runs.

Khawaja finds himself as one of three opening options for Australia following the return to the international fold of David Warner.

Despite Warner's return, though, Khawaja's place in Finch's ODI side is secure, having cemented his position by scoring 383 runs in a five-match series in India in March, breaking Kane Williamson's record for the most runs scored in a single five-match series against the subcontinental team.

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