Steve Waugh suffering dangerous blood clot

Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh has confirmed he is suffering from deep vein thrombosis (DVT), the potentially fatal condition better known as "economy class syndrome".

But Waugh said his case was not considered serious and while he was receiving daily medication to thin his blood he expected to be ready to lead Australia in this summer's first test against New Zealand starting on November 8.

"It sounds bad but...it's not considered to be too serious," Waugh said on Wednesday.

"It has to be monitored week by week but I'll be back before the first test match."

The 36-year-old Waugh developed a blood clot in his lower left leg when he tore a calf muscle during the third Ashes test against England at Trent Bridge in July.

The injury forced him to miss the fourth test, which Australia lost, but he returned to play in the fifth and final game, scoring an unbeaten century to complete a 4-1 series victory for his team.

DVT occurs when potentially dangerous clots form in deep blood vessels.

The condition often occurs after long periods of immobility such as those experienced on long flights and Waugh said he suspected the long-haul back to Australia may have contributed to his condition.

"I had some treatment when I got back home and noticed the soreness was more than what I'd expected or what I had in England," he said.

"I had an inkling something wasn't quite right...so we decided to have all bases covered and that (DVT) was one of the tests we had done and it showed up."

Waugh's New South Wales state team mate, Corey Richards, was also diagnosed with DVT after returning from Britain in July.

Richards has been undergoing blood thinning treatment for three months but is still struggling to regain fitness.

Mail Cricket Editor