With Brett Lee still not completely fit, Australia on Wednesday replaced him with fellow pacer Doug Bollinger in the squad for the ODI cricket series against Pakistan starting April 22 in Dubai.
Lee will remain in South Africa to continue his rehabilitation and would join the squad if deemed fit later in the tour, a Cricket Australia release said.
"The National Selection Panel has been advised by Cricket Australia medical staff that Brett Lee is not yet fit enough to resume international cricket," NSP Chairman Andrew Hilditch said.
"While it's disappointing for Brett to miss the start of the VB Pakistan Series, the NSP wants to take a careful approach to his return to the Australian team.
"Doug Bollinger will join the squad in the UAE. Doug was probably a bit disappointed not to get a run during the Test series in South Africa, but this is an opportunity for Doug to impress at One-day level for Australia and I'm sure it's an opportunity he'll be keen to make the most of," he added.
Australia team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said though Lee has recovered from his surgery, he has not bowled enough to be fit for international cricket and needs to be monitored for some more time.
"Brett's ankle has recovered well from surgery in January this year. However, the rehabilitation process is ongoing and, to date, Brett has not bowled sufficiently to allow him to be fit to resume playing cricket.
"Brett will remain in South Africa to continue the rehabilitation program and gradually increase his bowling volume and intensity. I will be monitoring Brett's progress to assess his availability for any part of the VB series against Pakistan in the UAE," he said.
