BackAustralia's bowling attack has been hit by further injury scares ahead of The Ashes with Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott undergoing hamstring scans.
Captain Pat Cummins (back) will miss the series opener against England in Perth from November 21 and now the hosts are sweating on the fitness of two more pacemen.
Senior man Hazlewood left the field on the third morning of New South Wales' Sheffield Shield fixture against Victoria in Sydney and did not return after lunch, while Abbott - in Australia's squad as a back-up option - also trudged off.
Abbott's injury came after he took three wickets in seven balls at the SCG.
Neither player batted as New South Wales were bundled out for 125 in their second innings to lose by 300 runs and Hazlewood was clearly limping when shaking hands at the end of the game.
Steve Smith, who will deputise for Cummins as Australia captain in the first Test against England, top-scored with 56 not out as he made twin half-centuries in the match.
Cummins, speaking earlier to Australian broadcaster ABC, gave a fairly optimistic outlook on Hazlewood, saying: "I haven't 100 per cent got across all the details but I think Joshy was pretty chipper when he got out, so hopefully he should be fine.
"Seany I'm not so sure about, I think they are still assessing."
Scott Boland - who has taken 49 wickets at an average of 12.63 across nine Tests in Australia - is set to deputise for Cummins in Perth, while the uncapped Brendan Doggett is also in Australia's party for the first Test.
Doggett took a first-innings five-wicket haul in Tasmania's three-wicket win over South Australia, with Cummins saying: "He's been bowling really well the last couple of games, from what I've seen.
"He's really well placed to be vying for a spot in that first Test. It's always nice having a squad full of people in form, and he certainly is one of those guys."
All-rounder Beau Webster, hoping to be named in Australia's XI to face England, bagged eight wickets in the match for Tasmania against South Australia but only made scores of eight and 13 with the bat.
Cummins, meanwhile, said he bowled at 90 per cent during a training session in Sydney on Tuesday but reiterated that he will not be ready for Perth, with the second Test in Brisbane, a day-nighter from December 4, the earliest the 32-year-old could feature.
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