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Australia to unleash Lee for ODIs
Greg Buckle |
November 30, 2004 17:16 IST
World champions Australia will unleash strike bowler Brett Lee for this week's one-day series against New Zealand, coach John Buchanan said on Tuesday.
"We very, very much expect him to be playing two if not all three of the one-day matches to be a good lead-in to the Pakistan series," Buchanan told Australian Broadcasting Corp. Radio.
Lee has been 12th man for both matches of the two-Test series against New Zealand, which Australia won 2-0 in Adelaide on Tuesday.
"We'll rest a couple of them (fast bowlers) at certain times," Australia captain Ricky Ponting told reporters.
"We've got a squad of 14 so we'll hope to give the guys who have done a lot of the bowling and played a lot of cricket over the last couple of months an opportunity to have a couple of days away from the game.
"It's a frustrating time for (Lee) but he'll come through it and when he gets his chance I know he'll do well."
World champions Australia named a 14-man squad for the series on Tuesday, recalling batsman Simon Katich.
The 29-year-old replaces Victoria all-rounder Ian Harvey in the squad which lost to England in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-final in September.
"Despite the disappointing outcome at the ICC Champions Trophy a few months ago, we felt that at this stage there wasn't a great need to make major changes," chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said in a statement.
"With Ian Harvey on his way back from (a groin) injury, we felt it was important to give him some more time at state level before considering him for international duties."
Australia host the Kiwis in Melbourne on Sunday, in Sydney on December 8 and in Brisbane two days later in the inaugural Chappell-Hadlee Trophy.
Australia's three-Test series against Pakistan starts in Perth on December 16.