Bird flies home with back pain

The fast bowler Jackson Bird will fly home from Australia's tour of India to have precautionary scans on his back.

Bird played in the first of Australia's two warm-up matches in Chennai and took 0 for 10 from 10 overs against the Indian Board President's XI but was not selected for the first Test. Although he will leave India in the next 24 hours Bird might return to the squad if the scans are clear.

"Jackson has reported some low level back pain and we feel the best course of action to determine the issue is to send him back to Australia for scans," the Australian team doctor Peter Brukner said. "If the scans come back clear then he will return to India to take up his place with the squad."

If Bird is ruled out of the tour Australia will need to decide whether to send another fast bowler to join the squad. It is likely that Bird would have been the fifth bowler in line for a Test call-up on this trip given that the other fast man in the squad, Mitchell Johnson, has had success in India in the past.