Mitchell Starc is almost certain to miss his home Test match, with reports suggesting serious tendon damage to his finger could keep him out for up to six weeks.
The left-armer has been cleared to both bat and bowl for the remainder of the Boxing Day Test, but will reportedly miss the final Test match of the summer.
A six-week recovery looms for Starc, according to The Australian, with Australia’s significant Test tour to India beginning in February.
Starc dived for a ball near the boundary at long-on during the final session of day one and called immediately for the trainer, holding his left-hand awkwardly.
He returned to the field later sporting a large strapping on the middle finger of the injured hand.
It is likely he will be asked to remove the strapping if he is to bowl again in this Test match.
Starc is the only front-line seamer to have played all four matches so far this Test summer, with Josh Hazlewood currently out with a side-strain and Pat Cummins having missed with quad soreness against the West Indies in Adelaide.
Western Australian tearaway Lance Morris, who bolted into the squad as cover for Cummins in Adelaide, remains with the squad and will battle Hazlewood for a spot in the side.
Hazlewood faced a crucial Christmas Eve fitness Test, with selectors instead opting for hometown hero Scott Boland, but is expected to be available for Sydney.
Morris, the only uncapped member of the side, would be the like-for-like replacement for Starc in terms of sheer pace.
