New Delhi: Australia’s leading fast bowler, Brett Lee, is in a war of words with his skipper Ricky Ponting, saying that him playing in the Champions League has nothing to do with his injury.

Lee said that his body he has bowling consistently fast for the last 1o years and that is bound to take a toll on his body but he has no plans to cut down on any of the formats to prolong his career. He added that his focus right now is to get his place back in the Australian test squad but he is not planning to sacrifice ODI’s or Twenty20 to achieve that.

“To constantly bowl 150 kmph for 10-15 years will obviously result in injuries but I am not finished yet. I am feeling fresh and still have lot more years of cricket left. I still love the game and have passion for the game,” Lee said here on Thursday. “Any opportunity to play for your country is something special and as bowler I am certainly not complaining. I love to play all formats of the game. I love Twenty20, it is exciting but I am hungry as ever to get back in the Test team.”

The 33-year-old speedster said that the injury sustained during the first ODI against India in Vadodara was unfortunate and he was hoping for a worthy performance in rest of the seven-match series to earn his place back in the Test side. He also ruled out reports that playing in the Champions League just before the bilateral series had anything to do with his injury.

“I don’t think my injury has anything to do with Champions League. I wanted to play as much as possible, especially after bowling in the nets throughout the Ashes. The opportunity came up when we qualified for the Champions League last year. I was born in New South Wales so I am always ready to represent it whenever I get an opportunity. But having said that playing for Australia definitely comes first,” said Lee, who was here as brand ambassador of Australia’s Deakin University. “It is unfortunate that I picked up a slight elbow niggle during the first ODI.”

Incidentally, Australia skipper Ricky Ponting had earlier claimed that the inaugural Champions League had hindered his side’s preparation for the series as three of his key players — Brett Lee, Nathan Hauritz and Doug Bollinger were busy playing for NSW in the cash-rich Twenty20 event. Lee, however, refused to speculate on his availability for the third ODI here on Saturday.

“I will know whether I would be able to play only after tomorrow’s training. I am not going to make any call today, but hope I will be there. I have not had much rest for the last four to six months, so it is bound to happen,” he said.

After a close win in the series opener, Australia suffered a humiliating defeat in the second ODI, but Lee said it would be wrong to undermine the visitors as it is a long series and things can turn around pretty quickly.

Tagged with: Ashes, Australia, Brett Lee, Champions League, India, New Delhi, Ricky Ponting

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