Lee sidelined for five months following surgery
Lee will be unavailable for Australia's tour to South Africa
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Sunday, 04, Jan 2009 12:14
Australian seam bowler Brett Lee will be sidelined for five months after he underwent ankle surgery.
The injury is a long-standing problem and has been addressed now in an attempt to get the 32-year-old back in time for the Ashes against England this summer.
Lee will miss Australia's tour to South Africa in the spring but hopes to be available again for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in England at the start of June, according to team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris.
The New South Wales man struggled during the second Test against South Africa in Melbourne last week and had to sit out most of the match after suffering a stress fracture of a metatarsal bone in the first innings.
Because the stress fracture would have sidelines Lee for a prolonged time anyway Cricket Australia chose to have the injured ankle fixed at the same time.
Lee's ankle injury is similar to the one experienced by England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and the Aussie has had surgery to remove bone fragments that had been causing pain at the back of the ankle.
"If Brett's rehabilitation program goes to plan he is expected to be available for selection for Australia for the ICC Twenty20 World Cup later this year," Kountouris said.
However, if Lee should experience any setbacks in his rehabilitation then his presence in the Australian side for the start of the Ashes series could be put into doubt.
If Lee misses the Twenty20 World Cup he would be short of match practice heading into the first Test in Cardiff on July 8th.