NCN 'pushing it' for BBL: Langer

A devastated Perth Scorchers coach Justin Langer has confirmed injured fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile is unlikely to feature in this summer’s KFC Big Bash League.

Coulter-Nile was sent home from the Qantas Tour of Sri Lanka after he was diagnosed with a bone stress injury in his lower back, another addition to the horror list of injuries the quick has suffered.

"I’ve just stopped crying … I’ve been crying in my cornflakes for the last few days," Langer said Tuesday.

"He’s got a stress fracture in his lower back and as Cricket Australia’s announcement (said), he’s in for a long rehab period.

"Whilst he was keen to be looking to be ready for the BBL I think we might be pushing it."

Coulter-Nile injured both shoulders last summer: his left in the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup in October and two months later he dislocated his right playing for the Scorchers, the latter ruling him out of the squad to face the West Indies in the Boxing Day Test.

"It’s a real shame,” Langer added. “He’s had so many injury problems now, he’s just got back into the Australian cricket team.

"From the inner sanctum he’s worked so hard. In a lot of ways he’s changed the perception and I really admire that about him.

"He’s changed the perception of a young Nathan Coulter-Nile to a … he’s a great professional now.

"To have that shoulder injury last year and now at 29 to get a stress fracture, it’s such a tough call on him, but it’s also a tough call on Australian cricket and Western Australian cricket." 

The potential loss of Coulter-Nile from the Scorchers, along with the expected international commitments of Adam Voges and Mitchell and Shaun Marsh, means coach Langer will likely seek to add to the two-time champions’ depth this summer.

"The equation it brings up is that we’ll probably look for a replacement player for David Willey now as well, because David Willey will only be here for the first four or five games," Langer said.

"To add to our depth we’ll look to add another overseas bowler, overseas bowling-allrounder, because with Mitch Johnson coming in we thought we might not need to do that.

"We back our depth here in WA. With Nathan going down we’ll have to look at his personal recovery and have to look at how we’re going to deal with not just Scorchers cricket but Warriors cricket too."