Cameron Green was on Monday ruled out of Australia’s five-Test series against India beginning next month, with the star all-rounder to undergo surgery on his spine this week.
The 25-year-old, who has a history of stress fractures, complained of back pain during Australia’s one-day tour of England in September and was immediately sent home.
“Whilst spine stress fractures are not unusual in pace bowlers, Cam has a unique defect in an adjacent area to the fracture that is believed to be contributing to the injury,” Cricket Australia said.
“After thorough consultation it was determined Cameron would benefit from the surgery to stabilise the defect and reduce the risk of future recurrence.”
The governing body said his recovery time was anticipated to be around six months.
“The decision to proceed to surgery is with Cameron’s long-term future as an all-rounder in mind,” it added.
The surgery will rule him out of the India series which starts in Perth on November 22 before moving to Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
It would also put him out of February’s Test tour of Sri Lanka and the ICC Champions Trophy tournament.
His absence leaves a sizable hole to fill, given he is Australia’s clear fifth bowling option in support of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon.
Green has played 28 Tests, taking 35 wickets and scoring 1,377 runs, including a sizzling 174 not out in the first Test against New Zealand in March, underscoring his credentials as a pure batsman.
