Darren Lehmann's World Cup hopes will be decided on Saturday when a disciplinary panel hears a charge levelled at the Australia batsman of making an offensive remark.

Match referee Clive Lloyd will chair an International Cricket Council disciplinary hearing at an Adelaide hotel, the Australian Cricket Board said on Friday.

The ICC has the power to impose an eight-match suspension which would include part of the World Cup one-day tournament which starts in southern Africa next month.

Lehmann, 32, who hit the winning runs for Australia in the 1999 World Cup final against Pakistan, has been charged by cricket's governing body after a remark he made upset the Sri Lankan cricket team during Wednesday's triangular one-day series match in Brisbane.

The left-hander was acting vice-captain of the Australia one-day team in a game last month and was expected to fill the same role in a match in Adelaide against England on Sunday.

"Darren has fought his way back into the side and obviously he's had a couple of setbacks," Australia coach John Buchanan told reporters in Adelaide on Friday.

"It's not ideal but I can't see it (the ICC disciplinary hearing) jeopardising his future career."

Buchanan said Australia were working hard at dealing with the controversy although they had hoped it would end when Lloyd decided to take no action.

"We thought the matter was handled, but the ICC weren't satisfied with that, they have laid the charge," Buchanan said.

OFFENSIVE COMMENT

"Everybody, Darren included, would prefer it didn't happen but it has happened, so let's deal with it."

Australia lead the triangular series standings with 27 points from England on 14 and Sri Lanka on 13. The best-of-three finals series starts on January 23.

The Sri Lankans lodged a complaint with Lloyd after Lehmann was overheard making an offensive comment about the tourists.

Lehmann made the remark in the Australian dressing room just after he had been dismissed but it was overhead by members of the Sri Lankan team who were in an adjoining room.

Lehmann apologised to the Sri Lankans, both in person and in writing, and the tourists said later they had decided not to proceed with any charges.

But the ICC released a statement on Thursday to announce that Lehmann had been charged with a level three breach of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Officials.

ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said: "I am aware that Mr Lehmann has apologised for his actions and that the Sri Lanka team was reluctant to lay any formal charges.

"I have, however, carefully considered the situation and, in the interests of eradicating racial vilification in international cricket, I am bound to lay this charge."

Lehmann, who refused to comment to reporters at Australia's training session on Friday, will undergo counselling at the ACB's headquarters in Melbourne on Monday, Buchanan said.