Side strain forces Lee out of first two Tests
Sydney Morning Herald
Tuesday July 7, 2009
AUSTRALIA'S bowling plans have been thrown into disarray two days before the Ashes, with in-form spearhead Brett Lee likely to miss the first two Tests with a strained side muscle.Lee complained of pain around his left ribs after bowling himself into the Australian attack with match figures of 7-114 in the tour match against the England Lions, and was taken to hospital for scans to determined the seriousness of the injury while his teammates trained indoors on account of heavy rain in Cardiff.The injury is a serious blow to Australia's Ashes hopes and for Lee, who was on the verge of making a comeback six months after surgery to his foot and ankle. It will force a major re-think of the attack on the eve of the series and could ruin Australia's plans to attack England with reverse swing. The first Test starts in Cardiff on Wednesday."He's gone for scans to investigate the source of the pain," an Australian team spokesman said.Lee's absence almost certainly assures Stuart Clark of an Ashes berth, given the seamer's ability to exploit the uneven bounce in Cardiff, and could bring swing specialist Ben Hilfenhaus into contention if the Australians lean towards an all-pace attack.Clark and spinner Nathan Hauritz have been vying for the last bowling spot after Lee's dangerous spells with reverse swing at Worcester carried the 32-year-old to the verge of a Test comeback.Lee bowled 35 overs in the tour game, his heaviest workload in the six months since surgery on his foot and ankle. "I haven't trained for 25 weeks to sit on the sidelines," he said. He spoke last week of his determination to make a successful return in England, where he averages 45 runs a wicket, and revealed Australia's plans to legally scuff the ball to promote early reverse swing, which is expected to play a massive part in the Welsh capital."We had a few plans, without giving too much away, to try and scuff the ball up as quickly as possible through the middle overs when the ball is going flat."Lee was the only bowler able to summon significant movement in the tour game, and his absence will intensify the pressure on Mitchell Johnson to lead the attack."When the ball is tailing in, it's pretty hard to get the ball out of my hand," Lee said. "You always feel you're a chance of taking a wicket, it doesn't matter if the batsman is set."England batsman Kevin Pietersen said the Australians wouldn't be the same without Lee. "He is a huge, huge, huge player for Australia," he said. "[He brings] experience in the dressing room and also the intimidation he has on batsmen around the world because he has been the fastest bowler in the world. He has got that intimidating factor about him. It is a huge, huge, huge loss to them if he doesn't play."Earlier, Shane Warne weighed into the selection debate, insisting the Australians would Continued Page 30
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald
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