Shane Watson's horror injury run continued on Tuesday with the all-rounder diagnosed with a stress fracture in his lower back that will stop him from bowling for six months.
Tipped to replace the struggling Andrew Symonds for the third Test in Sydney starting next week, the news is a cruel blow for Watson who has been plagued by a series of injuries over his career.
He is expected to resume batting in four to six weeks but will be unable to bowl until the middle of next year.
"Unfortunately I got diagnosed yesterday with stress fractures in my back. It's been over the last month, especially during the Sheffield Shield games I played for Queensland, that it really spiked in my workload so that's an unfortunate indicator that if my back gets sore it could be stress fractures and that was confirmed yesterday. It's unfortunate but it's the way things go," he told ABC Radio on Tuesday morning before the final day's play at the MCG.
"My back has been sore for the last three weeks. I knew something wasn't exactly right when bowling in the nets and my back was really sore. Unfortunately it's part and parcel of what I'm trying to do, building up my workload and bowling overs that I wanted to but unfortunately I just went over the edge a little bit too much."
Australia is already facing the prospect of being without paceman Brett Lee for the third Test with a foot injury, while Symonds has been hampered by a knee complaint.
Watson, who is 12th man in Melbourne, said he was eyeing a return to the Australian team by the 2009 Ashes series in England.
"Definitely, yeah. That's probably our best point in time from what I've been told already," he said.
"That's definitely my goal to be able to make sure I'm up and firing before the Ashes so that's my goal as an all-rounder."
It is not the first time Watson has suffered from stress fractures in his back, with a similar injury preventing him from playing in the 2003 World Cup.
The 27-year-old made his Test debut against Pakistan in Sydney in 2005 but has played just eight matches since, scoring 257 runs at an average of 19.76 and taking 14 wickets.
"When you get injured it's never a good time because at times there can be opportunities that are just about to come," Watson said.
"It's just unfortunately the way it goes. I've been really happy with the way things have progressed over the last 10 months to a year the way my game has been able to improve."
"I'm happy with the things that have been evolving and it's just another little setback but I'm going to be really excited when I'm back bowling and back playing full pelt."