Australia v South Africa: Peter Siddle ruled out of Hobart Test after scans reveal extent of back injury
Updated
Australia has another injury concern for the second Test, with paceman Peter Siddle to miss the game in Hobart with a flare-up of an old back injury.
Siddle, who broke down with back stress fractures in February and only returned last month, pulled up sore after bowling on four consecutive days of the first Test.
He was set for scans and Cricket Australia said on Tuesday excess fluid was found around the site of his stress fractures.
"We are hopeful that this will resolve relatively quickly, but have withdrawn him from the squad for the second Test Match in Hobart," team physiotherapist David Beakley said.
"We will monitor his recovery and have a better idea of when he will return to play in the next week or so."
Joe Mennie is poised to debut in the second Test, which starts on Saturday, while Jackson Bird has been summoned to Hobart as cover.
Shaun Marsh (broken finger) will miss the second chapter of the three-Test series, while Adam Voges (hamstring) is also in doubt. Batsmen Joe Burns and Callum Ferguson have been drafted into the squad.
Questions were raised about whether Siddle was physically ready for the first Test, having only played three one-day games and a single first-class clash since a winter of rehabilitation.
The veteran right-armer was included in the Test side after bowling 26 overs during the preceding Sheffield Shield match.
Siddle delivered 38 overs at the WACA, where his pace dipped the longer the match dragged on.
"I probably haven't played as much as I would have liked but I felt good," Siddle said after day four of Australia's 177-run loss.
"It was a bit tiring to be out there but that's part of the game.
"When I'm feeling fully fit and have got some miles in the legs, that will all come together.
"It's just about finding some rhythm and that will get there."
ABC/AAP
Topics: sport, cricket, perth-6000, wa, hobart-7000, tas, australia, south-africa
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