Cummins ruled out of Australia A series

Pat Cummins has been withdrawn from the Australia A squad for a series of winter games in Queensland, with Cricket Australia taking a cautious approach to his recovery from a stress fracture of the back.

Cummins will instead target the Matador Cup at the start of the 2016-17 season for his return, which would make it more than a year between matches for Cummins after he suffered the injury during Australia's ODI tour of England last September.

At the time Cummins was announced in the squad for Australia A's matches in July-August, national selector Rod Marsh said that while he was hopeful Cummins would be available, it would depend on the advice of medical staff.

"Pat is going really well with his rehabilitation but is unlikely be ready to play at full match intensity during the Australia A tour," Marsh said on Wednesday. "After discussions with Pat and the medical staff, we have decided to wait an extra month and look for him to return for New South Wales in the Matador Cup."

A long series of injuries have afflicted Cummins, now 23, since he was Man of the Match on his Test debut in Johannesburg in late 2011, and he has not played a Sheffield Shield game in the past five seasons.