BRETT Lee's future in the Australian cricket team is up for debate with the fast bowler preferring to ease his workload by playing as a genuine strike weapon.
Lee was set to leave the tour of Sri Lanka to seek further treatment for an ankle injury which forced him out of the first Test here this week.
Lee was unsure when he would be fit enough to play for his country again.
But when he does, it's likely to be in a a different role, with Australia's most menacing bowler keen to be used in short, fiery bursts.
"I might have to go home now and weigh up what my options are in the Australian team and I'll sit down with (captain) Ricky Ponting when we get back to Australia and go through a few things with regard to my workload," Lee said before exiting the Australian camp in Galle.
"We need to work out how much they want me to bowl per day and what type of role they want me to play.
Whether they want me to go in and bowl four overs flat out, have a rest and come back and bowl another four overs, and maybe only bowl 15 overs a day, or whether they want me to be more of a stock bowler and bowl 25 overs over a day.
"I'm pretty confident I'm in the Australian team as a fast bowler ... a strike bowler, so I think the first option is one we'll definitely go with."
It's a tactic Pakistan use with the dynamic but injury-prone Shoaib Akhtar, who bowls only a handful of overs at a time.
By decreasing his bowling workload, Lee hoped to prevent a recurrence of the pain he's suffered in past week.
Lee's injury is to the same ankle which was operated on to remove bone spurs and he said the current problem was caused by rushing back too soon.
"Since I've had the operation it hasn't felt quite right and that's from rushing back, not having a chance to have a proper rest and I've played a lot of cricket too this summer."
His comeback featured a string of games for NSW and Australia in December and he slogged it out in the Sydney Test, bowling 40 overs as India racked up 705 runs.
Lee said it was probably too much bowling too soon after his comeback.
"That was just the way it worked out, it was no-one's fault.
"I try to bowl as much as I can to help the team and to bowl when asked and that's one thing I might have to look at in the future."
He was adamant he wouldn't rush back this time, even it meant missing the tour of Zimbabwe in May.
"I want to play when I'm ready to play, if that means I might have to miss that tour then I might have to.
"If I feel it's coming along in leaps and bounds in about a month, which I can't see happening, we'll have to wait and see ...
"I won't be coming back in a rush this time, I'll be taking my time."
The decision to send home Lee came just minutes after it was announced Michael Kasprowicz was unable to bowl in the rest of Sri Lanka's first innings in the first cricket Test here because of a sprained shoulder.
A replacement player for Lee was expected to be named later today.
- MICHAEL DONALDSON