All-rounder Ellyse Perry has been ruled out of Australia's Women's World Cup semi-final against the West Indies on Wednesday with a back issue, captain Meg Lanning said on Tuesday.
Perry, who missed the semi-finals and final of the 2020 T20 World Cup because of a hamstring injury, suffered back spasms in Australia's win over South Africa early last week and sat out training until Monday's session.
"She batted a little bit in the nets yesterday and felt okay, but she certainly just wasn't in a position, unfortunately, to be able to perform at the level needed for tomorrow," Lanning told reporters.
"Unfortunate for her and the team, obviously a big blow, but we feel like we've got some good depth to be able to cover it and we're going to have to do that tomorrow."
Annabel Sutherland, daughter of former Cricket Australia chief executive James, is likely to retain her place in the team after replacing Perry for the win over Bangladesh last Friday. Perry had been confident the injury was improving and had been optimistic of playing in the match when she spoke to media on Monday.
"Each day we've assessed it, seen where it's at, and it definitely has been improving, which is really nice," Perry said on Monday. "It's going really well, but obviously just need to make sure that I'm in the best possible spot to be able to contribute, if I was to play."
Unbeaten Australia, who are aiming for a seventh World Cup triumph, take on West Indies at Wellington's Basin Reserve on Wednesday and remain optimistic Perry could be fit for Sunday's final in Christchurch - against either England or South Africa - if they were able to progress.
"She hasn't done a lot [of training] over the past week to be fair," Lanning added. "She batted a little in the nets yesterday and felt ok but wasn't in a position to perform at the level needed tomorrow [the semi-final]. That's why we've made the call today.
"We haven't looked too far ahead, we'll keep assessing her if we are to progress but the team and squad is very focussed on tomorrow. I'm sure there's work going on in the background to get her up to play if we were to get through."
Fletcher ruled out for the West Indies
West Indies have been dealt a blow ahead of the semi-final with news veteran spinner Afy Fletcher will miss the semi-finals after being diagnosed with Covid-19.
All-rounder Mandy Mangru - who has been in New Zealand as a travelling reserve - has been drafted into the squad as Fletcher's replacement and is in contention to play her first game of the tournament.
Watch the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup semi-finals live on Sky Sports. Live coverage of Australia's clash with the West Indies begins on Tuesday from 10.30pm on Sky Sports World Cup, with England against South Africa then live from 1.30am on Thursday.