Lee included in Australia A squad

Brett Lee has been included in the 13-man Australia A squad which will take on West Indies and Pakistan in warm-up games before the one-day VB Series starts on January 14. The A side will play two matches against West Indies at Hobart, on January 8 and 9, then take on Pakistan in a 50-overs match at Adelaide on January 12, and then in a Twenty20 game at the same venue the next day.

Lee has been the permanent 12th man in the Australian Test side recently, thanks to Michael Kasprowicz's consistent performances, but these matches will ensure that Lee gets some practice ahead of the VB Series.

However, Trevor Hohns, the chairman of selectors, indicated that Lee might be rested from these games if he played in either the second or third Test against Pakistan. "We are mindful of the lack of opportunity Brett has had this summer, so we feel that these games should give him some useful match practice," Hohns said. "We will review his place in the A-team squad if he takes part in the Melbourne or Sydney Test matches, given that he then would have had some bowling under his belt, but in his best interests we want to have some game-time organised for him if the Test line-up remains the same."

Australia A squad
Brad Haddin (capt and wk), Nathan Hauritz, Brad Hodge, James Hopes, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Brett Lee, Michael Lewis, Marcus North, Shaun Tait, Dominic Thornely, Cameron White, Damien Wright.