Cricket Australia have confirmed that medical scans have found "lumbar bone stress" in captain Pat Cummins' back ahead of the 2025/26 Ashes.
In the coming months, Cummins will sit out the T20 tour of New Zealand and white-ball matches against India at home to give him the best chance of featuring in this summer's Ashes series.
The injury concern is reportedly similar to issues Cummins faced in the early stages of his career. Pleasingly, there is no stress fracture, but his back will still require an assessment from Australia's medical team ahead of the Ashes.
Since taking over as captain, Cummins has only missed one Test due to injury.
He is yet to be ruled out of the first Test in Perth on November 21, but should he remain injured, Australia will likely require another fast bowler in the squad.
Scott Boland is the obvious candidate to slip into the XI, given his impeccable form when he has filled in for the "big three" in recent years.
That said, another squad player would be required should Hazlewood, Starc or Boland obtain an injury or require rotation.
Here are some potential candidates should Australia require a fifth fast-bowler in Australia's Ashes squad.
Jhye Richardson
The 28-year-old Richardson immediately comes to mind as a fringe option for the Australian test team.
Most Australian cricket fans will be familiar with him, having led the Scorchers bowling attack in the BBL for several years now and having made a solid contribution with the white-ball format for Australia (15 ODIs and 18 T20Is).
Richardson also has three Tests under his belt and has proven he can perform at that level. Indeed, Richardson already has a taste of Ashes cricket. He took a five-wicket haul at the Adelaide Oval against the old enemy in 2021.
He has a solid bowling average of 22.09 in Tests, and his first-class record is stellar, having taken 110 wickets in 26 games at an average of 20.95.
Unfortunately, much like Cummins, Richardson has been plagued by injuries throughout the early stages of his career.
He recently underwent shoulder surgery and has only recently returned to bowling.
Richardson himself has admitted a return to Ashes cricket this summer feels somewhat unlikely.
"As nice as it would be [to play in the Ashes], there is a lot of water to go under the bridge before then", Richardson said, as reported by ESPN.
"We're not counting out Ashes cricket, but there's a long process that has started and has been ongoing, and there is a lot to go through before then."
Whilst there is an injury cloud over Richardson, his selection could be beneficial for the future.
Much of Australia's fast-bowling stocks are in their thirties, and Richardson remains relatively young at 28. That said, 35-year-old Mitch Starc mentioned his intention to play Test cricket for as long as possible after retiring from T20Is. An older attack is no issue if they continue to perform.
Brendan Doggett
Doggett was identified by Fox Sports as their "leading candidate" to join Australia's Ashes squad.
Doggett was included in Australia's World Test Championship final squad as a travelling reserve but missed the recent Caribbean tour due to a minor hip issue (it should be noted Richardson was injured and unavailable for selection for these tours).
Unlike Richardson, Doggett has recovered from his injury, and it seems unlikely it will be an ongoing issue.
Doggett has also been in fine form as of late, being named player of the Sheffield Shield final last season.
His figures of 11/140 across two innings in that game are the best bowling figures in a Sheffield Shield final.
He also boasts a respectable first-class record of 177 wickets from 48 matches at an average of 27.32.
It would be hard to argue that Doggett does not deserve a call-up to the national side, given his recent domestic form.
Michael Neser
Michael Neser is another candidate who has already experienced success at Test level.
In Neser's two Tests, he has picked up seven wickets at an impressive average of 16.71.
In the first-class scene, Neser has been consistently strong throughout his 113-match career. He has 399 wickets at an average of just 23.71.
Last year, after suffering a hamstring injury on the eve of the Test series against India, Neser said he still holds out hope he will once again play for Australia in the Test arena.
"I still aspire to play for Australia. The passion is still there, and I will keep my name in there," Neser said to cricket.com.au.
"When the [Australian] boys are going well and I am going well I haven't seemed to get an opportunity. Then when there was an opportunity I get injured."
Neser certainly hasn't played more Test cricket due to a lack of talent, and he has already proven he can compete. He is also handy with the bat, often being classed as an all-rounder.
That said, unlike Jhye Richardson, who has also proven himself at Test level, Neser is 35 years old and unlikely to feature in any longer-term plans for Australia.
Fergus O'Neill
Victorian quick Fergus O'Neill has made waves in first-class cricket since his Sheffield Shield debut in October 2022.
In the Shield, he has taken 105 wickets at an average of 20.60, making him the second-highest wicket-taker in the competition during that period.
He was named the 2024/25 Sheffield Shield player of the season for taking 38 wickets at 21.07. In 2023/24, he was given the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year award.
Over the winter, O'Neill had a quick stint in the County Championship playing for Nottinghamshire.
In his four games in the competition, he took 21 wickets at 17.90.
At the end of his stint, he was the competition's top wicket-taker.
O'Neill is yet to play at Test level, but his first-class efforts cannot be ignored. At 24 years old, O'Neill is a genuine contender to lead Australia's attack in the future alongside the likes of Jhye Richardson and Lance Morris.
Other candidates
Australia is fortunate enough to have extensive fast-bowling depth, despite it rarely being needed due to the dominance of Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood and even Boland.
Lance Morris would have been a top candidate to feature this summer. Sadly, he, too, is injured and has opted to undergo surgery to protect his career's longevity. He will not return to cricket for at least 12 months since his surgery.
As mentioned, there is one player who has taken more wickets in the Shield since Fergus O'Neill's debut. That player is Nathan McAndrew, who led the wicket-taking in the Sheffield Shield last summer with 40 wickets.
White-ball regulars Xavier Bartlett and Sean Abbott could also be outside chances of earning a call-up to the Test squad.
Abbott was in the squad for the recent Caribbean tour, but has yet to be gifted a baggy green. Despite being in and around the Australian Test team, Abbott has a first-class bowling average of 30.29. Decent, to be sure, but other players on this list have undeniably stronger records.
Xavier Bartlett has had an impressive start to his international white-ball career and has a decent first-class record of 93 wickets at 26.10 from his 27 matches.
Bartlett and Abbott are in similar boats, however. Both have been selected to feature in the T20 tour of New Zealand and will likely be included in the home white-ball games against India leading up to the Ashes.
The pair may struggle to make their case for Test selection with limited opportunities to play domestic red-ball cricket.
Therefore, it does seem unlikely we will see Bartlett or Abbot feature in whites for Australia this summer, given the other options the Australian selectors could pursue.
At 26 years old, Bartlett certainly has a decent chance of playing Test cricket later in his career if his first-class form holds steady.
The first Ashes Test begins on November 21 in Perth.
