MELBOURNE, Dec 23: Australia opening batsman Justin Langer is rated a "50-50" chance to play in Sunday's second Test against Pakistan after suffering a back injury, team physiotherapist Errol Alcott said on Thursday.

Alcott said Langer suffered the injury while bending down to pick up a ball during practice at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday. A scan revealed Langer has a bulging disc in his lower back.

"(He has) very severe back pain," Alcott told reporters. "It's 50 percent he might play, 50 percent he might not play. But it's just a bit too early (to say) at this stage."

Langer is Ttest cricket's leading scorer in 2004 with 1,426 runs, including five centuries. The 34-year-old left-hander scored 191 and 97 in last week's first Test against Pakistan in Perth, where Australia won by 491 runs. "At the moment he's in bed and not feeling very good," Alcott added. -Reuters