Ashes bowling fears for Aussies

Australia have revealed concerns over the fitness of Brett Lee as they prepare for this summer’s Ashes cricket action, and are now hoping the England and Wales Cricket Board will help their preparations.

The world’s top Test team have asked for permission to use 12 players in the Ashes warm-up fixtures, as they look to test Lee’s progress after recent ankle surgery.

Ricky Ponting's men are due to play two first-class matches before the opening Test against England, which takes place in Cardiff on July 8, and the selectors are looking for Lee to prove his fitness.

The tourists will play a four-day game against Sussex (June 24-27) at Hove and then face the England Lions at New Road (July 1-4), and they are hoping the ECB will allow them to use 12 players during those two matches.

Both Lee and fellow seamer Stuart Clark are coming back from long-term injuries and Australia are keen for the duo to get some match action under their belts.

Ponting has admitted that Lee’s fitness is still “a bit of an unknown”, although the Aussie skipper has been pleased to see the New South Wales paceman getting through the IPL unscathed.

With regards to Ashes 2009 betting and the absence of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne this summer, the involvement of the 32-year-old could prove crucial to the tourists’ chance of retaining the Urn.

Lee took 20 wickets in both the last Ashes series in 2006-2007 and Australia’s defeat on English soil in 2005, also proving a more than useful figure with the bat down the order.

In a worst case scenario for the tourists, both Lee and Clark may not be fit enough to feature in Cardiff and that would leave an inexperienced pace attack of Mitchell Johnson (21 Tests), Ben Hilfenhaus (3 Tests), Peter Siddle (7 Tests) and Andrew McDonald (4 Tests).