No red ball cricket for Pat Cummins?

Cricket Australia could restrict fast bowler Pat Cummins to limited-overs cricket for the next year at least.

Cummins' constant injury problems since his stunning Test debut in late 2011 have prompted team support staff to consider an extremely conservative approach to his rehabilitation.

The 20-year-old will soon resume in the Big Bash League, but there is a proposal that he not play any Sheffield Shield or Test cricket for the time being.

Australian team doctor Peter Brukner said Cummins could still return to the national team in that time, but only for one-day or Twenty20 games.

"You'll see Pat Cummins play limited-overs cricket ... for the next year or two," Brukner told ABC Radio.

"Every time we've tried to play red-ball cricket with Cummins, he's broken down.

"There's no point bashing your head against a brick wall any more.

"That's the sort of policy that's being mooted at the moment.

"We ease him back into cricket, keep the loads fairly low, get the most out of him for our country."

Cummins and fellow young quicks Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson are all making injury comebacks.

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Brukner said it was pointless pushing young pacemen until they had enough strength in their backs to cope with the demands of Test cricket.

"We think the three of them are going to be great fast bowlers for the next decade," Brukner said.

"There's no point destroying his (Cummins') body before 22-23 and losing that next 10 years.

"I know it's frustrating - almost the worst thing he did was win that Test match in South Africa almost by himself.

"It raised the expectations.

"But I'm afraid with young fast bowlers, we have to be patient."

Brukner said with the exception of current team bowling coach Craig McDermott, every young Australian paceman for the last 40 years had broken down with a back injury once he reached Test level.

"Young bowlers under the age of 24, it's just been shown time and time again, the bones in their back ... in their lumbar spine don't have the strength," he said.

"Everyone - Dennis Lillee, Bruce Reid - all these people broke down and weren't really able to play a full load of Test cricket until they were 24."