Cricket: Lee set to be on the outer yet again

Australia's pace sensation Brett Lee. Picture / Hawkes Bay Today

Pace sensation Brett Lee seems certain to again miss selection for the Australian test team, and to make matters worse is unlikely to be released for the Pura Cup final in Brisbane.

The fastest bowler in world cricket, Lee is poised to be overlooked for the second test starting at the Basin Reserve on Friday, raising hopes among New South Wales supporters that he could be released for the final of the first-class competition, starting on the same day.

However, Australian coach John Buchanan said yesterday that it would be imprudent to release one of the team's pace bowlers before the start of the test, in case an injury or illness on the morning of the match caused a reshuffle.

"We need to make sure that we've got all our players ready to start the game just in case there's any 11th-hour calamities," Buchanan said.

"So we'll get to that stage first and I guess there are lots of considerations after that - depending on who may be 12th man and who may not be."

The management stance means that, even if Lee was released after the start of the test match, he would still miss most of the first day's play in the Pura Cup final, between NSW and Queensland at the Gabba.

The decision will come as a bitter pill for the tearaway, who has carried the drinks for most of the year in terms of test cricket, despite twice breaking the 160km/h mark in Napier 10 days ago, in the process proving himself the world's fastest bowler at present.

Asked if the selectors could be tempted to nominate Brad Hodge as 12th man, thus freeing up Lee for the Brisbane match, Buchanan insisted that the management team had not even discussed the idea, as they were preoccupied with the upcoming test.

"We want Brett and Brad to be ready to play, get the team selected, get the game started and then we'll have a look at it after that," he said.

"It won't do them or us any good if they've got their minds in Australia rather than New Zealand."

Buchanan said the team would prefer to have the 12th man named as early as possible, but that he was mindful of how quickly conditions, overhead and underfoot, could change in Wellington, and would wait longer if necessary.

Australia won their sixth consecutive test at Christchurch on Sunday and their third in a row against New Zealand, but Buchanan was adamant that the side could keep progressing and that there was room for improvement throughout.

However, he was particularly eager to see his top-order batsmen put together a complete effort in the Wellington test, following a partial collapse in Christchurch and some scratchy periods at times on home turf.

"Pretty soon we would like to see a Justin Langer-Matthew Hayden opening partnership that dominates the game.

"We haven't seen that for a little while," he said.

"We're looking forward to our top four really clicking, and taking a few of those early catches that we seem to be grassing at the moment."

As for the bowling attack, Buchanan said the side were aware of the notorious Wellington wind, but that the attack had the tools to cope.

"It means that one of the quicks will have to do most of the work labouring into the wind and the other two will do some sharing of it," he said. "I think we're pretty adequately covered.

"Kaspa [Michael Kasprowicz], with the bigger frame and his former rugby-playing days, would like to bullock into it no doubt. But once again it's a selection decision," he said.

And Lee? "Same answer.