Joe Root was absent from the field on the fourth morning in Adelaide after suffering a freak but painful injury to his nether regions.
The England captain was warming up with some simple half volley throwdowns in the nets before play from spin bowling coach Jeetan Patel.
And as it wasn’t a full tilt batting session he decided against wearing an abdominal protector, commonly referred to as a box.
Unfortunately for Root, the ball nipped back at him and struck him amidships to leave him in agony and unable to take the field.
Vice-captain Ben Stokes took over in the middle while Root was sent for a scan on the area to check if there is any further damage beyond the obvious.
If the injury proves to be more serious than some bruising and red cheeks, it really would be a hammer blow for Root and England.
If they are to stand any chance of saving this game Root will be utterly central to the second innings effort.
Should he be unable to bat in the second innings, England’s already beleaguered hopes would take the biggest nosedive of all.
And sadly it would be yet another cruel twist of fate in a series that has seemingly been stacked against England from the moment they arrived.
Questions will be asked about why Root would take the risk of not wearing a box during any batting practice, but he is the best batsman in the world and has hit hundreds of thousands of warm up balls without mishap.
Of course the one time when it does go wrong, it is during the biggest series of his life and when his team need him more than ever.
In a statement the ECB said: "England captain Joe Root will not be on the field at the start of play today after being hit in the abdomen during throw downs in the warm-up before play.
"He is currently being assessed by the England medical team."
