Broken finger caps tough UAE tour for Australian spinner Jon Holland

Left-arm spinner Jon Holland is set to be sidelined after suffering a broken finger during Australia's Test series defeat to Pakistan in the UAE.

Holland is understood to have sustained the injury when he was hit by a Mohammad Abbas delivery while batting in Australia's second innings during the series decider in Abu Dhabi.

The 31-year-old was set to fly home on Saturday with other members of Australia's Test squad who were not taking part in the T20 series.

It was not immediately clear how much of Victoria's Sheffield Shield campaign Holland would miss. Fellow left-arm spinner Steve O'Keefe was sidelined for six weeks when he broke his finger late last year playing grade cricket.

The injury caps off a difficult tour for Holland, who has been a marginal figure in the Test side and might struggle to earn selection again.

Holland finished the series with four wickets at 75, struggling to match first-choice spinner Nathan Lyon and Pakistan duo Yasir Shah and Bilal Asif.

All four of Holland's Tests have been in Asia, and the impressive performance of part-time legspinner Marnus Labuschagne might push the Victorian further down a pecking order which also includes Ashton Agar and Mitchell Swepson.

Opener Aaron Finch noted during the second Test that luck had gone against Holland, who was denied the key wicket of Azhar Ali by the contentious "three-metre rule".

Azhar, who was on 53, was trapped in front by Holland on day two but survived an Australian review of the not-out decision.

Replays showed the ball could not have been much better placed - pitching on middle and leg, turning away from the right-hander and hitting off stump.

But the DRS technology determined that the point of impact was more than three metres from the stumps, meaning the umpire's call could not be overturned.

"I think a little bit frustrated would be fair," Finch said of his Victorian teammate.

"I think he's bowled really well ... just missing those couple of rewards that would propel him to a bag in a session or something like that.

"Things haven't gone his way this Test or series."