Western Australia coach Justin Langer says star all-rounder Nathan Coulter-Nile is hurting after having his Test dreams dashed for another summer.
Coulter-Nile is almost certain to miss the entire domestic season after suffering a lumbar bone stress fracture to his lower back while on tour in Sri Lanka last month.
The 28-year-old has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons, and the latest setback has ended his hopes of making a dream Test debut this summer.
Coulter-Nile has come close to breaking into the Test XI on several occasions over the past 12 months, but injuries have thwarted his hopes each time.
Shoulder, hamstring, and calf issues have sidelined Coulter-Nile at various points in his career, but his current back issue is the most serious of the lot.
An exact time frame on Coulter-Nile's return is yet to be set, but Langer is resigned to being without his star player for the summer.
"I can't believe it, sitting here now and (knowing I'm) unlikely to have my strike bowler available," Langer said.
"That hurts Australian cricket and West Australian cricket. It hurts him as well."
Coulter-Nile has played 16 ODIs and 17 T20s for Australia. Langer is confident the right-hander will be able to push for higher honours once again.
"He's 28 now. He's still got a few more good years in him, and hopefully he'll get rewarded down the track," Langer said.
"If you look at his career, he hasn't bowled much at all. How resilient his body is, time will tell.
"He'll certainly be doing everything he can to get back out on the park."
Langer will meet with Coulter-Nile on Monday to see if the West Australian wants to help with coaching duties while he recovers.
The WACA held their season launch on Wednesday, and their No.1 aim was clear - winning this season's Sheffield Shield title.
WA haven't been crowned Shield champions since 1998-99, but Langer is confident he has the squad at his disposal to push for a title success this summer.
The Warriors finished fifth last season,.
But they would have won hosting rights for the final if their two one-wicket losses to South Australia had gone the other way.
Before WA put their full focus on the Shield, they'll turn their attention to the 50-over format.
The Warriors start their one-day campaign against South Australia at the WACA Ground on Sunday.
Star paceman Jason Behrendorff has been given the green light to play after recovering from a back injury, but Shaun Marsh (finger), Ashton Agar (shoulder), and Simon Mackin (pelvis) will miss the first few games.
