 | « Back to article | Print this article |
Australia's hopes of strengthening their bowling attack suffered a blow when strike bowler Brett Lee was ruled out of the third one-day international against India, at the Ferozshah Kotla, in New Delhi, on Saturday.
Lee missed the second ODI in Nagpur, when India, led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni's blazing 124 from 107 deliveries, put up a mammoth 354 for seven in their 50 overs.
Australia buckled under the pressure of the huge total and were dismissed for 255. They lost by 99 runs, leaving the seven-match series level at 1-1.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting confirmed Lee and all-rounder James Hopes would not play the third ODI after the team's training session on Friday.
"Both those guys won't play tomorrow. Brett had a light bowl in the nets today as did Hopes. Hopes got through the bowling okay, but I actually think it's too much to risk and too soon. So he will sit out one more game.
"Brett bowled at 85 per cent in the nets and still felt a bit of pain and discomfort in his elbow. So he won't play tomorrow but, hopefully, with a couple of days rest he will be fit for the Mohali game," Ponting said.
He also revealed that including back-up all-rounder Moises Henriques for the Delhi ODI would be a big risk to take as he has not played international cricket.
"Henriques has joined the squad, but we haven't finalized the final eleven yet. Yes, it will be a big step up for him. He has played only 15 or 20 games for New South Wales and to play the international game will be a big hurdle for him," said Ponting.