Paceman Pat Cummins is hoping to be fit for next year's World T20 cricket tournament in India following his latest cruelly timed injury setback.
The NSW speedster on Thursday was ruled out of Australia's looming two-Test tour of Bangladesh due to a stress fracture in his back.
Cummins, 22, said on Friday his rehabilitation plan would be worked out in the next couple of days.
"Stress fractures are a long injury," Cummins told AAP at a promotion for a new partnership between Cricket NSW and Sydney Water.
"The goal I've set in my head at the moment is the World T20 early next year (March-April in India) but it's all a long way away.
"We'll have to wait and see but time is really the main thing that heals stress fractures.
"It's in a pretty common spot where a lot of fast bowlers get them and I haven't had it before. It's nothing that hasn't been seen before.
"One hundred per cent of people come back from it with absolutely no side affects and, once it happens once, it shouldn't happen again."
With fellow quicks Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood rested from the Bangladesh tour, Cummins looked certain to add to his one-Test career after a near four-year gap.
He played plenty of T20 and one-day internationals over the past 12 months, being part of the World Cup and Ashes squads, and even turned out for a couple of first-class games in England - boosting his meagre tally in that format to just eight matches.
"That's probably the hardest thing - I felt like I was going really really well," Cummins said.
"For two years, I haven't had any injuries so I've been lucky in that regard, especially probably the last six months.
"Being over in England, I felt like I was bowling really well during the Ashes in a couple of tour matches and in the nets and the body felt great and I felt rhythmical and it was good to see that come out in the one-day series.
"That was a shame I obviously had this result at the end of it.
"It's great that knowing, with a few setbacks in the past, I've still been able to get to the standard that I've set myself and I'm sure this time won't be any different."
Cummins has played 16 T20 and 18 one-day games for Australia but his man-of-the-match effort in Johannesburg in November 2011 remains his only Test.
"Just everything about it (Test cricket) is really, really exciting. I think that's the ultimate in cricket," Cummins said.
"I really, really hope I can get back and get a second Test one day."
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