Mitchell Perry ruled out of Lancashire stint with back stress injury

Australian seamer to begin rehab programme after routine MRI detected recurrence of problem

Mitchell Perry, the Australia A seamer, has been ruled out of a planned stint playing in the County Championship with Lancashire after scans picked up the recurrence of a lumbar bone stress fracture.

Perry, who made a dramatic intervention as an injury sub in the Sheffield Shield final, went for a routine MRI after the game, which detected the injury. He will now undergo a period of rehabilitation overseen by his state, Victoria, instead of travelling to the UK for the first block of Championship games.

Lancashire have also confirmed they will be without Marcus Harris for their opening fixture against Northampton, starting on Friday, due to his involvement in the Shield final, a five-day game which concluded on Monday. Harris is expected to be available for the visit of Derbyshire next week.Related'Frustrating when it's against you' - CA's injury sub rule causes drama in Shield final

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"We are naturally disappointed that Mitch will be unable to join us this season, particularly at such short notice ahead of the campaign," Lancashire's director of cricket performance, Mark Chilton, said. "However, we wish him a full and speedy recovery.

"We are currently assessing our options with regard to potential replacement players and their availability."

Lancashire, now under the guidance of club stalwart Steven Croft, will be led by James Anderson in the Championship after a successful first captaincy spell last season.

"Despite this setback, having recently returned from Desert Springs, where the men's squad completed an excellent week-long training camp, I have been extremely encouraged by what we have seen over the course of the week," Chilton said. "The attitude has been first-class, morale is high, and the two-day inter-squad game was highly competitive. The squad is hungry, motivated, and ready to get the season underway.

"We are excited for the new campaign and determined to build on the progress made during the second half of last year, with Steven Croft leading as head coach and James Anderson as County Championship captain."