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West Bromwich Albion centre-back Dara O’Shea could be set to start the Baggies’ Championship clash this evening.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Matt Maher’s recent report for the Express & Star, with the journalist claiming that, following Albion’s 2-0 defeat to Luton Town on Saturday, Steve Bruce looks set to make sweeping changes to his starting XI for the trip to Middlesbrough on Tuesday night.

Maher goes on to state that one such change could be the return of the 22-year-old defender, who has not started a fixture for West Brom since fracturing his ankle during international duty with the Republic of Ireland back in September of last year.

In his article, the journalist writes: “Steve Bruce will consider handing Dara O’Shea his first Albion start since August in tonight’s crunch clash with Middlesbrough.

“O’Shea has recently returned from a five-month lay-off after suffering a fractured ankle while playing for the Republic of Ireland and could be drafted into the Baggies XI as Bruce shuffles the pack on Teesside.

“Though Albion’s defensive record is far from their biggest concern at present, the 22-year-old’s mentality would strengthen a team sorely lacking in confidence and which wilted alarmingly in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at Luton.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how important a part of the West Brom backline O’Shea had proven himself to be prior to his injury, the news that the centre-back could finally be in line for a start this evening is sure to have left The Hawthorns faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over his six league outings this season, the £2.7m-rated defender has been in imperious form for the Baggies, helping his side keep two clean sheets and scoring two goals, as well as making an average of 1.8 interceptions, two tackles, 3.2 clearances and winning 8.5 duels – at a success rate of 65% – per game.

These returns have seen the £4.4k-per-week Irishman average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.15, ranking him as Albion’s best performer in the league.

As such, the potential reintroduction of O’Shea to West Brom’s starting XI will undoubtedly provide Bruce’s chances of leaving the Riverside Stadium with all three points with a major boost – a result that, considering the Baggies are now well and truly in a battle for a top-six finish this season, would certainly leave everyone involved with the club delighted.

In other news: Huge blow: West Brom dealt fresh setback ahead of Boro clash, fans will be gutted

It will be a huge challenge for Salman Butt to take over the reins for the first time as well as be Pakistan’s most important batsman

The Preview by Brydon Coverdale20-Jul-2010Match FactsWednesday, July 21, Headingley
Start time 10:30am (0930 GMT)The Big PictureSalman Butt, Pakistan’s most important batsman, has to now bear the burden of captaincy•Associated Press

Oh Pakistan, what will you come up with next? After the tour of Australia, life bans were handed out and overturned before the team had even played its next Test, and now it has lost its new captain to retirement after one match. Admittedly, Shahid Afridi wasn’t exactly in a Test-match state of mind, but it will be a huge challenge for Salman Butt to take over the reins for the first time as well as be Pakistan’s most important batsman. Butt was described during that trip to Australia as “a little lazy runner” by the then leader Mohammad Yousuf, and we will soon find out whether he has the respect of the rest of his team-mates. His vice-captain is Kamran Akmal, who was dropped two Tests ago. Go figure.For Australia things are considerably more stable. Since Pakistan last beat Australia in a Test, in November 1995, Australia have had four Test captains and Pakistan have had 12, soon to become 13. Still, Ricky Ponting is in charge of a side that had two debutants at Lord’s and the team has handed out 17 baggy green caps since the start of 2008. By the standards of Australian cricket, that’s Pakistan-like instability. However, things are coming together for Ponting six months out from another Ashes series and his men have won their last seven Tests.There are some areas Australia will hope to improve at Headingley. In the first Test, Australia gathered 11 wickets via the bowling of their top six batsmen, thanks to Shane Watson and Marcus North. That means the strike bowlers have plenty of room to lift while some key batsmen, including Ponting himself, also struggled at Lord’s.Form guideAustralia WWWWW
Pakistan LLLLD
Watch out for…Simon Katich may not put backsides on seats like Ricky Ponting, but he’s been a more consistent contributor than Australia’s captain over the past two years. Katich’s 80 and 83 at Lord’s continued a remarkable run for the opener; he has made at least a half-century in each of his past nine Tests. The longest equivalent streak that Don Bradman ever achieved was seven Tests, although that is a little misleading. An ankle injury prevented Bradman from batting in either innings at The Oval in 1938; take that match out of the list and Bradman had a minimum of a half-century in 13 consecutive Tests in which he batted.Salman Butt has a terrific record against Australia, averaging 47.14 against them in Tests compared to an overall career mark of 32.75. He was the joint Man of the Match with Katich at Lord’s for his 63 and 92, but now he must balance the captaincy with his own performance. Pakistan can barely afford for his batting to drop off at all; none of their other batsmen managed a half-century in the first Test.Team newsAustralia have had a couple of worries over the past few days with Ben Hilfenhaus managing a sore shoulder, while Marcus North sat out of training on Monday due to an illness. It is likely that both men will be passed fit, which would mean an unchanged side from the team that won by 150 runs in the first Test. Should either Hilfenhaus or North fail to prove their health, the fast bowler Peter George or the batsman Usman Khawaja would be in line for a debut.”He didn’t train yesterday,” Ricky Ponting said of Hilfenhaus before training on Tuesday. “He just came down and ran some laps, with the expectation that he’s going to have to bowl four or five overs today. He has come along really well. We were all a bit worried about him immediately after the Lord’s game. He woke up the next morning particularly sore but he’s improved a lot. We’ll push him today and we expect that he’ll be right to play.”[North has] been a little bit ill but I think everyone in his family has had it the last couple of days and got over it pretty quickly. I’d expect him to train today and be okay for the game.”Australia (possible) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Simon Katich, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Michael Hussey, 6 Marcus North, 7 Tim Paine (wk), 8 Steven Smith, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Ben Hilfenhaus, 11 Doug Bollinger.The retirement of Afridi leaves a position available at No. 6 and Shoaib Malik would be the logical replacement as a batsman who can bowl useful overs of spin. However, there is also talk of a change to the attack, with Saeed Ajmal possibly in line for his sixth Test at the expense of Danish Kaneria.Pakistan (possible) 1 Imran Farhat, 2 Salman Butt (capt), 3 Umar Amin, 4 Azhar Ali, 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Shoaib Malik, 7 Kamran Akmal (wk), 8 Mohammad Aamer, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Mohammad Asif.Pitch and conditionsOvercast conditions helped the swing bowlers at Lord’s and that could be the case again at Headingley. There is some rain forecast for the second and third days.Stats and trivia Australia have beaten Pakistan in 13 consecutive Tests, the greatest winning run by a country over another in Test history. The last Test in which Katich failed to post a half-century was at Headingley last year. His only other Test at this venue was his debut, when he made 15 and 0 not out Ricky Ponting has an incredible record at Headingley, where he averages 105.25 in his three matches. It was the venue of his first Test century way back in July 1997 Salman Butt will be the third man to captain Pakistan in a Test this calendar year, quite an achievement considering they have only played three TestsQuotes”We don’t know what to make of him as captain. I thought he played really well last game – that’s as well as I’ve seen him bat.”
Ricky Ponting on Salman Butt”I told them the best thing to do is leave the ball outside off stump and the short ball.”
Ijaz Ahmed, the Pakistan assistant coach who made 141 in a Headingley Test, has been giving some advice to his batsmen.

Ashley Preece has labelled the news on Emiliano Buendia being a doubt against Newcastle as ‘a wounder’ for Aston Villa.

The Lowdown: Buendia under Gerrard

Buendia has been a regular under Steven Gerrard since he took over, featuring in every game and turning out in three separate positions.

The Argentine scored the winner against Everton in Villa’s last away trip but suffered an injury in the week during the 3-3 draw with Leeds United.

The 25-year-old was withdrawn shortly before the hour mark for Carney Chukwuemeka after colliding with the post and may now miss his first game under Gerrard as a result.

The Latest: Preece reacts

Gerrard confirmed on Friday that Bertrand Traore has suffered a fresh hamstring injury and will be sidelined for a couple of weeks as a result.

He also revealed another blow – Buendia is a ‘big doubt’ for the trip to St James’ Park due to a hip problem, with Preece labelling it as ‘a wounder’.

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

As Preece mentions in a story for Birmingham Live, Buendia had issues with his hip during pre-season, so hopefully, this latest knock doesn’t prove to be a long-term problem.

Although Buendia has been a regular in recent months, it may make sense to leave him out against Eddie Howe’s side on Sunday due to the quick turnover from Wednesday’s game.

That could well open the door for Chukwuemeka or Morgan Sanson to make a rare start under Gerrard, or perhaps Danny Ings, with Ollie Watkins moving out wide.

In other news: Villa now want midfield ‘monster’ for free as Lange plots revenge on Tottenham after Bentancur. 

يخوض نادي برشلونة اختبارًا صعبًا في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا مساء اليوم، الأربعاء، أمام بايرن ميونخ في الجولة الخامسة من دور المجموعات من أجل التأهل إلى مرحلة دور الـ 16.

ولكن وضع برشلونة صعب مع الخسارة أمام بايرن ميونخ والتعادل والهزيمة من إنتر ميلان في الجولات الثلاث الماضية لتضع العملاق الكتالوني في المركز الثالث برصيد 4 نقاط.

اقرأ أيضًا.. لاعب تشيلسي السابق: شعرت بالخوف من مورينيو بعد بكاء محمد صلاح.. مزّق قلبه أمام الجميع

هناك صراع بين برشلونة وإنتر ميلان على المركز الثاني بعد حسم بايرن ميونخ التأهل والصدارة برصيد 12 نقطة، وبالتالي، فالصعود لكتيبة المدرب تشافي، أشبه بالمستحيل ولكن هناك احتمالية لتأهل البلاوجرانا.

1- يجب على برشلونة الفوز في مباراتي بايرن ميونخ وفيكتوريا بلزن المتبقيتين في دور المجموعات أو على الأقل فوز وتعادل.

2- يجب أن يخسر إنتر ميلان أمام فيكتوريا بلزن مساء اليوم في السابعة إلا ربع بتوقيت “القاهرة” وكذلك مباراة بايرن ميونخ في الجولة الأخيرة، بمعنى إذا حصل إنتر على أي فوز في المباراتين سيتم إقصاء برشلونة ويتحول إلى الدوري الأوروبي.

وبالتالي، فالأمر أشبه بالمعجزة لنادي برشلونة الذي خسر أمام إنتر ميلان في إيطاليا 1-0 وتعادل 1-1 على كامب نو.

Harris said it was a strange feeling to be in the Australian dressing rooms celebrating a Test win, especially after a winter that included two knee operations

Brydon Coverdale in Wellington24-Mar-2010

Ryan Harris has decided that it’s called Test cricket for a reason. Harris bowled 41 overs in his debut match, most of them into a Wellington wind that was so strong that it tipped over the pitch roller. He was in the field for four days in a row, which is tough for anyone, especially a man who had played only one first-class game for the summer.Little wonder that Harris was stiff and sore the day after Australia secured victory, but despite having only three days between matches he is certain he’ll be refreshed in time for Saturday’s second Test. Taking six wickets for the match and grabbing three important victims on the final morning helped his mood considerably, although the team’s celebrations were subdued.”I am pretty tired,” Harris said on Wednesday. “I haven’t played many four-day games [this year] and to do it in those conditions, they were pretty tough conditions with the wind and everything. To make New Zealand follow on and field for nearly 200 overs was a bit of a test. I got through it, I’m a bit tired now, but I’ll be right to go again on Saturday.”I looked after myself last night, so it’s a matter now of keep hydrating in the next couple of days and a bit of a run around probably tomorrow and another one on Friday and get the body moving, and I should be right. I had a couple of quiet beers but didn’t go too hard, none of us did because we have another big Test coming up.”Harris said it was a strange feeling to be in the Australian dressing rooms celebrating a Test win, especially after a winter that included two knee operations. Test cricket was a goal that appeared unattainable at the time, at least in the near future, but Harris has certainly made the most of his chance to wear the baggy green.”I sat last night having a chat with Dad and a few of the boys and we’ve spoken about the last few months and where I nearly was with my knee, and to be sitting there last night with the boys celebrating a Test win, it’s very surreal still,” he said. “I never thought I’d be playing Test cricket, put it that way. I’ve come a fair way and it’s a great feeling, all the hard work to put it all into this and get a baggy green. It’s awesome.”The immediate challenge for Harris is to back up his strong debut with a good performance in Hamilton, but the longer-term goal is to be in the mix for next summer’s home Ashes series. Harris is trying not to look too far ahead but can’t help pondering the possibility of playing in the battle for the urn.”It would be pretty awesome to play Ashes wow,” Harris said. “But that’s a long way ahead yet. I’m worried about the next Test, obviously, and then the World Twenty20 I want to be a part of and then hopefully go to England, so there’s a lot to go before that.”If I just keep performing and taking wickets and bowling well and making it hard for the selectors when the other guys come back to drop me, then that’s what I want to do. That’s what we’ve got to remember, there are still guys to come back into the team who have done really well – Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle. If I just keep performing well and make it hard for them to drop me, that’s what I want to do.”

Cricinfo previews the return match between Deccan Chargers and Rajasthan Royals at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium

The Preview by Nitin Sundar04-Apr-2010Match factsMonday, April 5
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)
Will Andrew Symonds try to get under Yusuf Pathan’s skin once again?•Indian Premier LeagueBig pictureDeccan Chargers are on a four-match losing run that threatens to end their IPL campaign early. Going into their return match against Rajasthan in Nagpur, Deccan will be anxious to snap the streak and reignite their title-defence.Rajasthan Royals, coming off two successive losses, have worries of their own to deal with. In both defeats, their bowlers, who were at the forefront of their earlier resurgence, have wilted under pressure from attacking batsmen. Dinesh Karthik and M Vijay made them sweat on the field, while Gautam Gambhir talked them down off it. Shane Warne’s men have already silenced their critics once this season, by stringing four consecutive wins after an abject start to the campaign. Monday offers a chance to reprise their favourite script.They will find comfort in the fact that their opponents are not only going through a bigger crisis of confidence, but also suffer from the same weakness as they do – a bowling attack that leaks runs in the end overs. Deccan have conceded 11.81 runs in the last six overs, often undoing their good work at the start of the innings. Rajasthan have not fared much better, and the team that bleeds lesser from this Achilles heel is likely to gain two crucial points in Nagpur.At this stage, only Mumbai and Delhi seem assured of semifinal spots, while five other teams are closely matched in the fight for the remaining two. Deccan and Rajasthan currently languish just above bottom-ranked Punjab, and victory on Monday will make the difference between moving into the midfield and stagnating on the scrapheap.Form guide (most recent first)Deccan Chargers: LLLLW
Rajasthan Royals: LLWWWTeam talkSumit Narwal picked 3 for 36 in the defeat against Delhi, but on either side of that performance conceded a whopping 90 runs in five overs against Chennai. Siddharth Trivedi, who missed the last game, should take his spot. Shane Watson’s inclusion has strengthened the batting, which means Paras Dogra is likely to miss out again.Deccan are nowhere near solving their fast-bowling problems. Kemar Roach, who conceded 10 runs an over in his two games, was replaced by Ryan Harris, who went at exactly the same rate against Mumbai. Chaminda Vaas, who lost his spot to these two on reputation, deserves to reclaim the new ball. In five matches, he has eight wickets at 6.66 runs per over and could help Deccan’s attack rediscover discipline. Two of the three Singhs – RP, Jaskaran and Harmeet – should make up the rest of the pace attack, but Adam Gilchrist will be counting on his in-form spinners, Pragyan Ojha and Rahul Sharma, to deliver.Previously…Deccan 1, Rajasthan 4Rajasthan have the upper hand in contests between the two teams so far, and the Ahmedabad hammering earlier in the tournament emphasised their dominance. Shaun Tait struck at crucial junctures to restrict Deccan to 148, before Yusuf, who was egged on by a verbal exchange with Symonds, smashed eight sixes to finish the chase in 15.4 overs.In the spotlightShane Warne’s dismissal of Herschelle Gibbs in Ahmedabad was reminiscent of his pomp, when the elements of turn, loop, drift and bounce all came together. While he has only managed six wickets in nine games, Warne has kept things reasonably quiet in the middle overs. The Rajasthan captain has the knack of lifting his game when it matters the most; expect a stirring performance from the greatest legspinner of all-time in this crucial game.Herschelle Gibbs and Andrew Symonds have scored the most runs for Deccan this season – 237 and 232 respectively – but neither has been able to convert their uncharacteristically watchful starts into big contributions. Both of them have scored at strike-rates close to 120, and Deccan will hope that they can step it up on Monday.Prime numbersAdam Gilchrist’s form has mirrored his side’s – in the first four games he scored 149 runs, but in the next four, he could manage only 29. Deccan have lost each of those games.With 12 wickets to his name, Pragyan Ojha is joint-second highest wicket-taker in the tournament, but with an economy rate of 7.80 per over, he is the most expensive of the top six bowlers in the listYusuf Pathan is fifth in the race for the orange cap with 278 runs. Of batsmen with at least 200 runs, he has been the second-fastest run-scorer, striking at 179.35, second only to Robin UthappaThe chatter”We have to win five out of the next six games. We have to get our act together or else we are out of the tournament.”

Arsenal have submitted an offer for Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic, according to reports in Italy…

What’s the word?

La Repubblica claim that the Gunners have bid around €70m (£58.5m) for the 21-year-old and La Viola president Rocco Commisso is now prepared to let him leave Florence this month.

The Fiorentina supremo has grown impatient with Vlahovic’s attitude and the behaviour from his representatives after it was confirmed back in October that he would not be signing a new contract.

In recent weeks, the Daily Mail revealed how his transfer could cost a total of £150m when factoring in wages and other fees, so the north London giants will have to pay a premium to see him arrive at the Emirates Stadium before January 31st.

Get it done!

Arsenal are in desperate need of reinforcements this month, that much is obvious following Sunday’s north London derby postponement.

With virus cases on the increase, players at the Africa Cup of Nations, Granit Xhaka suspended and other injuries mounting up, Mikel Arteta has been left with a threadbare squad this week.

There is a longer-term issue emerging, though.

Alexandre Lacazette’s contract is up at the end of the season and there has been no incline that he’s prepared to extend his current deal, so right now, the French veteran is set to leave, whilst Pierre-Emerick Aubamyang’s future is by no means certainly after he was stripped of the captaincy.

It means a new frontman is needed and Vlahovic would surely be a dream signing for the young Spanish head coach.

The Serbia international has been in electric form in front of goal this season – as per Transfermarkt, he’s delivered 19 goals in 23 appearances, meaning he’s found the net once every 102.5 minutes.

That builds on his impressive form for Fiorentina last season, where he bagged 21 goals in the Serie A.

He has since been lauded as a “complete number nine” by Italian football expert Conor Clancy, whilst his former coach Ivan Tomic dubbed him a goalscoring “monster” with shades of Zlatan Ibrahimovic about him.

Valued at £63m by Transfermarkt, the Gunners would do very well to secure him for just £58.5m. He’s a player that Arteta desperately needs, so it’s on Edu Gaspar and co to seal a move for him at all costs before the end of the month.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Partey: Arsenal can find new Santi Cazorla in £49.5m-rated “outrageous talent”…

عاد محمود عبد الرازق شيكابالا قائد الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، للمشاركة في التدريبات الجماعية، بعد الحصول على راحة بسبب الإجهاد في اليومين الماضيين.

ويستعد الزمالك لمباراة فلامبو البوروندي المُقبلة في ذهاب دور الـ32 لبطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، المقرر لها يوم 9 أكتوبر الجاري.

وحرص البرتغالي جيسفالدوا فيريرا المدير الفني للزمالك على عقد جلسة سريعة مع شيكابالا قبل المران من أجل الاطمئنان على حالته، وجاهزيته من الناحية الطبية قبل المشاركة في التدريبات. رسالة فيريرا لـ شيكابالا

قال فيريرا لشيكابالا نصًا في الجلسة: “خض تدريباتك بقوة”، ثم تحدثوا عن بعض الأمور الخاصة بالبرنامج التدريبي.

وأدى شيكابالا في بداية المران تدريبات خاصة بالجري الخفيف حول الملعب، في حين انخرط باقي اللاعبين في التدريبات الفنية.

طالع أيضًا | الزمالك يصدر بيانًا رسميًا بشأن رفض ممدوح عباس وساطة بنك مصر تأهيل إمام عاشور

وبدأ إمام عاشور لاعب وسط الفريق في تنفيذ الجزء الثاني من البرنامج التأهيلي الخاص به قبل انضمامه للتدريبات الجماعية.

وخضع عاشور لبرنامج تأهيلي في صالة الجيم بالنادي خلال اليومين الماضيين بسبب الإرهاق العضلي بعد عودته من صفوف منتخب مصر.

وأدى إمام عاشور في مران اليوم جزء تدريبي بالجري حول الملعب، وبعض التدريبات الأخرى بالكرة. فيريرا يُقسم اللاعبين

وخصص الجهاز الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك بقيادة البرتغالي جوسفالدوا فيريرا حصة تدريبية خلال المران.

وقام الجهاز الفني بتقسيم الفريق لمجموعتين، على أن تقوم كل مجموعة بالتمرير السريع في مساحات ضيقة، ويحاول ثنائي من اللاعبين قطع الكرة.

ويهدف الجهاز الفني من هذه الفقرة لزيادة معدل دقة التمرير بشكل سريع وسليم بين اللاعبين قبل المباريات المقبلة. تدريبات خاصة لخماسي الفريق

ووضع الجهاز بنادي الزمالك، برنامجًا تدريبيًا خاصًا للخماسي محمود “شيكابالا” وإمام عاشور ومحمد حسام “بيسو” ومحمد طارق وحسام أشرف، على هامش التدريبات الجماعية.

وأدى الخماسي تدريبات خفيفة بالكرة، قبل خوض تدريبات خاصة بدنية وفنية تحت إشراف أندرية فيليب مدرب الأحمال بالنادي.

ولم يشارك اللاعبون في التقسيمة الفنية التي خاضها الفريق خلال مران اليوم، بناءً على قرار البرتغالي جوسفالدو فيريرا المدير الفني. تدريبات منفردة لـ عبد الله جمعة

أدى عبد الله جمعة الظهير الأيسر للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك تدريبات تأهيلية منفردة في صالة الجيمانزيوم.

ويخضع اللاعب لبرنامج تأهيلي وعلاجي خاص في صالة الجيمانزيوم بسبب الإصابة التي يعاني منها في أنكل القدم، ويتابع الجهاز الطبي للفريق بقيادة الدكتور محمد أسامة حالة اللاعب ومدى تنفيذه للبرنامج التأهيلي بالشكل الأمثل.

Richie Benaud might be retiring from ball-by-ball commentary at the end of the summer but he won’t be leaving Nine’s cricket coverage. Benaud, 79, signed a three-year deal last week and his downgraded commitments will include analysis and guest spots.”I won’t be doing live commentary,” Benaud told the Sunday Telegraph. “Someone asked me: ‘Does that mean you’ll never again go into the commentary box?’ Well, the answer to that is if there is, as there always can be, some emergency or a sensational happening, on or off the field, – where it would be quite ridiculous not to go into the commentary box – of course I’ll be in there doing my job and doing it as professionally as I can. But I won’t be on the live commentary roster.”Benaud, who took 248 wickets in 63 Tests, stepped down from his full-time broadcast duties in England in 2005 and finished with News of the World at the end of the Ashes series in August. He has continued being a large part of the coverage back home and Steve Crawley, Nine’s head of sport, said Benaud was “an icon of Australian television”.”He is a wise man and we’re not silly enough not to continue taking his advice,” he said. “With him retiring as a cricket commentator, that’s one thing. But you don’t retire from family.”Benaud also said Michael Clarke would do a good job as captain of Australia – as long as he can solve his back problem – and he is sure Brett Lee will continue to do well. “He’s made his comeback,” Benaud said. “He’s determined to get back in the Test side.”Some people if they get an injury like that, they’ll give it a wave of the hand and they can’t be bothered getting fit. There are others like Dennis Lillee, who fought his way back through severe injury to play for Australia again. Brett Lee has done the same thing again – he has put Australian cricket ahead of himself and I hope he does well and I’m sure he will.”

Brett Lee’s right elbow will spend the next six weeks in a brace after he had surgery in Sydney

Cricinfo staff03-Dec-2009Brett Lee’s right elbow will spend the next six weeks in a brace after he had surgery in Sydney on Wednesday. Lee, who picked up the problem on the one-day tour of India, was considering his playing future when he learned last month he would be out for the Australian international season.Trefor James, Cricket Australia’s medical officer, said Lee had an operation to repair a damaged ligament. “He will be required to use an elbow brace for a period of approximately six weeks and then commence more intensive rehabilitation,” Dr James said. “His return to bowling will be determined in due course as he is regularly assessed by the surgeon and Cricket Australia’s medical staff.”Over the past year Lee has been forced into long-term rehabilitation by ankle and side complaints before the latest setback threw more doubt over his future. The run of injuries have him stalled on 76 Tests and 310 wickets and he has not played in a five-day game since limping off the MCG last December. One of the benefits of this enforced lay-off is he has been able to spend more time with his young son.