Vidler ruled out of Australia A tour of India with a partial stress fracture

Back injuries among Australian fast bowlers is nearing epidemic levels, with Queensland teenager Callum Vidler the latest in the list, ruled out of the Australia A white-ball tour of India and the start of the domestic summer with a partial stress fracture.

Fresh off the news that Test captain Pat Cummins has a hot spot and Cricket Australia contracted quick Lance Morris is undergoing back surgery, there had been hopes of accelerating Vidler's progression given the promise he showed in the Sheffield Shield final in March following his performances in Australia's Under-19 World Cup victory last year.

He was set to play in the white-ball portion of Australia A's tour of India later this month and had been preparing by playing three T20 matches in the T20 Max in Queensland for his club side Valley.

But scans late last week detected a partial fracture in his L3 vertebrae. Queensland general manager of high performance Joe Dawes confirmed that Vidler has to now undergo a rehab process but there is no time frame on his return.

"Callum experienced some back pain during training and promptly reported it," Dawes said. "Unfortunately, the scans came back confirming a stress fracture so he will spend some time recovering and then start a rehab plan. He's naturally very disappointed but accepts that injuries are part of the game. We'll work closely with him to ensure he has the best recovery to get him ready for a return to cricket."

Australia A had already lost Morris and his replacement Brody Couch from the red-ball portion of the series with India. Couch had suffered a side strain but is expected to be right for the start of the Shield season with Western Australia while Morris is out for a year.

South Australia's Henry Thornton was called in as Couch's replacement for the red-ball matches in India and will now remain on for the three white-ball matches as week

Vidler, 19, impressed with his performance in the Shield final last March when he bagged 4 for 64 and 1 for 60 while showcasing impressive pace on a sluggish Karen Rolton Oval pitch. He is part of the quartet of quicks from his Under-19 group, which has Tom Straker, who was also selected for the Australia A white-ball team to tour India, Mahli Beardman and Charlie Anderson. Beardman is currently recovering from stress fractures while Anderson has had significant back issues in the recent past and is being carefully managed.

The injury leaves Queensland thin in terms of their fast-bowling stocks just a week out from the start of the Dean Jones Trophy.