The joy of having Mitch Marsh join Australia's squad in Dubai has been short-lived following confirmation the emerging allrounder has a hamstring strain.
The in-form 22-year-old was set for a huge tour against Pakistan in the UAE - poised to prove his game-breaking ability to the one-day team close to next year's World Cup and also to make his Test debut on October 22 in the absence of injured allrounder Shane Watson.
"He's not playing the T20 and he's unlikely to be okay for the (three) one-dayers," Kountouris told reporters on Thursday.
"There's certainly enough time for the Test matches.
"It's just a matter of getting his bowling back up. That's going to be the tricky part."
Kountouris said scans indicated Marsh had torn the scar tissue around his upper-left hamstring area, where he had surgery in 2012.
Marsh felt a pinch while fielding during the Perth Scorchers' Champions League game against Lahore Lions in Bangalore on Tuesday and left the field, having already claimed two wickets.
The pace-bowling allrounder returned to smash an unbeaten 63 but his hamstring soreness had increased by the time the tall West Australian arrived in Dubai.
Kountouris said it may be only a mild hamstring strain.
"We're getting some opinions from back home from the guy who did the surgery," Kountouris said.
Marsh's unavailability for the Twenty20 clash with Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday (0300 Monday AEST) leaves new skipper Aaron Finch with a 10-man squad, plus standby players Nathan Lyon and Phil Hughes.
Hughes and Lyon are part of George Bailey's ODI squad which will play a three-game series against Pakistan starting on October 7.
Paceman Pat Cummins has a Champions League T20 commitment on Saturday in India, although Cameron Boyce and Glenn Maxwell are expected to arrive in time for Sunday's T20 game after their teams were eliminated in the semi-finals.
Lyon, Hughes, Boyce, Kane Richardson and Sean Abbott are all yet to make their T20 international debuts.
While Australia's fresh-faced T20 squad was eagerly preparing for Sunday's game, team physio Alex Kountouris was attempting to map out a schedule for Marsh which would put the talented strokeplayer back on the park as quickly as possible.
Test skipper Michael Clarke (hamstring) and pace spearhead Mitchell Johnson (rib) are also on the team's injury list ahead of the first of two Tests.
Johnson would appear the most likely of the trio to be cleared to play, having resumed bowling at training.
All three are hoping to be available for the four-day game against Pakistan A starting in Sharjah on October 15.
Marsh's injury could open the door for offspinning allrounder Glenn Maxwell to resume his two-Test career which began on Australia's ill-fated 2013 tour of India.
T20 squad member Steve Smith says Marsh's setback is a huge blow.
"Hopefully it's a quick recovery for him and he'll be right for selection for the Test matches," Smith said.
Marsh belted two half-centuries in the ODI tri-series against South Africa and hosts Zimbabwe in August and September.
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