Coulter-Nile faces lengthy rehab after lumbar bone stress injury

The lower back injury that ruled out Australia fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile from the tour of Sri Lanka has been diagnosed as a lumbar bone stress injury, Cricket Australia said on Monday. Coulter-Nile will now begin a lengthy rehabilitation period, and David Beakley, Australia's physiotherapist, said that the bowler's return to cricket "will be determined in due course".

Coulter-Nile had been in Sri Lanka since the start of the tour as part of the Test and ODI squads, but did not play a match. He was ruled out of the tour last week and flew home to have his injury assessed. Beakley had stated at the time that the bowler had been experiencing a "gradual increase in lower back pain which is now preventing him from bowling at match intensity."

Coulter-Nile has struggled with injuries over the last year. In September 2015, a recurring hamstring injury forced him out of the ODI series in England. He was in the frame to make a Test debut in the home series against West Indies last summer, but dislocated his shoulder while playing for Perth Scorchers during the 2015-16 Big Bash League.

He made his comeback in the T20I series during the South Africa tour in March 2016, and then played all four of Australia's matches during the World T20 in India. The pacer also played three matches in the ODI tri-series against West Indies and South Africa in June.