Peter Siddle faces yet another uphill battle as the veteran paceman seeks to extend his Test career.
Cricket Australia has confirmed Siddle will miss the second trans-Tasman Test in Christchurch, with the cause of his back spasms to be investigated next week in Melbourne.
Siddle's career has stalled after being dropped during a tour of South Africa in 2014, with the 31-year-old playing eight Tests since.
They've been spread across six different series.
A drop in speed, coupled with the rise and rise of young guns Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, has resulted in Siddle slipping down the pace pecking order.
Durability had been one of Siddle's greatest strengths.
But the lion-hearted Victorian has been injured in three of his past four Tests.
He was restricted by back spasms recently in Wellington and the inaugural day-night Test in Adelaide, while he hurt his ankle during the Boxing Day Test.
However, Siddle was a key part of the attack before trudging off the Basin Reserve last Sunday.
The right-armer grabbed the key wicket of Kane Williamson in NZ's opening-hour collapse of 5-34 at the Basin, handing Australia the early ascendancy.
James Pattinson has no doubt Siddle can bounce back again.
"He's a great bowler and I'm sure he'll come back really well," Pattinson said.
"He'd be disappointed ... everyone else is really shattered for him.
"He's been a wonderful bowler for a number of years now ... he's a fantastic guy, a fantastic character and he'll be back."
Australia's next Test assignment after the trans-Tasman series is a tour of Sri Lanka that starts in July.
Siddle's greatest strength is his reliability and accuracy, allowing other members of the attack to profit from his miserly ways.
"He's done a great job not only this Test but throughout his whole career of drying up one end and building those dots and building that pressure - which obviously ends in wickets eventually," Hazlewood reflected last week.
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