The international hopes of left-arm paceman Jason Behrendorff will have to be put on hold yet again after succumbing to another stress fracture in his back.
Behrendorff is expected to spend about four months on the sidelines after suffering a recurrence of the lower back stress fracture that had plagued him last summer.
The 25-year-old, bravely playing through the pain during the Big Bash League campaign, will be put on ice with the aim to get him bowling again by the middle of the year.
The loss of Behrendorff is a big blow to Western Australia's hopes of reaching the Sheffield Shield final.
The Warriors sit fourth on the table, but are only seven points adrift of ladder-leading Victoria.
Behrendorff was in the Test, T20 and ODI frame last summer before being grounded by injury.
And the latest setback means he'll need to wait until at least next summer before being able to push for higher honours.
WA will be back in action on February 3 for the start of their Shield clash with NSW in New Zealand.
The match will be the first time a Shield fixture has been played outside Australia.
Cricket Australia took the unprecedented step to help the Test side prepare for the two-Test series in New Zealand.
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