Australia bowler Peter Siddle will need "a significant amount of time away from the game" due to stress fractures in his back.
The 31-year-old paceman suffered back pain during the first Test victory over New Zealand earlier this month and did not feature in the second Test in Christchurch this week.
Australia claimed a seven wicket victory over the Black Caps on Wednesday to return to the top of the ICC Test rankings.
However, that win has been slightly tainted by the news of Siddle's injury diagnosis.
"Peter returned to Melbourne on Monday and had scans following the bout of back pain he suffered during the first Test in Wellington," Cricket Australia physiotherapist David Beakley said.
"Unfortunately those scans have indicated a stress fracture in his lower back. He will now require a significant amount of time away from the game with a lengthy rehabilitation process.
"While he is laid off with his current back injury, we will take the opportunity for Peter to have exploratory surgery on his left ankle to investigate and treat the cause of his ongoing ankle pain.
"Once that surgery is complete, we will have a better idea of his prognosis and likely rehabilitation time frame."
Siddle has taken over 200 wickets for Australia in 61 Test matches, and has also scored over 1,000 Test runs.
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