Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and James Pattinson were flown to Perth to work with the great Dennis Lillee on Monday.

The trio of pacemen are all on the comeback trail from stress fractures of the back, as is another back-up Test seamer, Jackson Bird, and are looking to the Big Bash League as the setting for their returns to elite cricket.

It is only five months ago that Pattinson and Starc were first-choice fast bowlers in the Test attack, lining up against England in the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge.

Cummins, meanwhile, was poised to be an automatic selection for his country after a brilliant Test debut against South Africa in Johannesburg in 2011 in which he was man of the match.

Australia's depth in fast bowling is such that their absence has not been felt during the home Ashes as the more seasoned Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle have taken to England.

Yet they are not being overlooked even though they'll play no part in this series. They will work closely with Lillee in the nets at the WACA Ground on Monday, as well as Troy Cooley, the head coach of Cricket Australia's Centre of Excellence.

Cummins, 20, has consulted Lillee in the past as he endeavours to put behind him a stretch of repeated injuries that have hampered his efforts to resume a Test career.

''Everyone is at a similar stage in rehab, we're all running and getting back into bowling; I've been bowling for three weeks and building up to 100 per cent,'' said Cummins, who is already in Perth.

''I'm pretty confident I'll play at the end of the Big Bash … hopefully the last couple of games for the Perth Scorchers and maybe a couple of T20s for Australia at the start of next year and see how we go.''

Pattinson, 23, played no further part in the Ashes in England after succumbing to injury after the second Test, at Lord's, but also hopes to make his comeback in the BBL. ''It's feeling quite good at the moment. I'm back bowling at almost 100 per cent now,'' Pattinson said.

Starc, 23, is slightly less advanced in his recovery but the extended length of the T20 tournament means he is still a chance of returning to action in January.

''I'm not quite up to the level of the others guys yet,'' Starc said. ''I start bowling in Perth on Monday and fingers crossed I can hopefully play a part in the Big Bash for the Sixers.''

Pattinson and Starc have played 12 Tests since making their debuts in the same match - against New Zealand in Brisbane two summers ago.