Watson ruled out of Australia's series against Pakistan

Injury-prone all-rounder Shane Watson has been ruled out of Australia's entire series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates with a calf injury, the country's cricket board said on Sunday.

Watson, recovering from a sprained ankle that kept him out of the tri-series in Zimbabwe, has suffered a new setback and is experiencing soreness in his right calf, Cricket Australia (CA) physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said in a statement.

"As Shane has previously had similar calf injuries, we plan to hold back his return to running and bowling for approximately 7-10 days.

"The unfortunate timing of this calf injury will mean that his preparation for the UAE tour will be considerably affected and he would have been unavailable for the T20 and ODI part of the tour and significantly limit his bowling preparation for the Test matches."

Tasmania paceman Ben Hilfenhaus will take Watson's place in the test squad, while Kane Richardson has been named as a replacement for the limited-overs matches.

Australia have already lost captain Michael Clarke for the limited-overs matches of the series due to a hamstring injury and the top batsman is still a doubt for the Tests.