BRETT LEE may have played his last game of first-class cricket for the Australian summer.
In a deflating postscript to his continued appointment as Australian 12th man, Lee may not play for the Test team or New South Wales before the Australian side leaves for a seven-week tour of New Zealand on February 11.
If Lee retains his position as Australian 12th man for the back-to-back Tests against Pakistan in Melbourne and Sydney, he could play just one first-class game for the Australian summer.
Even if he is squeezed out by leg-spinner Stuart MacGill for the Sydney Test he will have no fall back position because NSW is not playing that week.
Once the Test series is over he is expected to tour for a month with the Australian one-day side whose campaign ends just before the side leaves for New Zealand.
Lee has been 12th man for five consecutive Tests and described his omission from the first Test side in Perth as the greatest disappointment of his career.
With Michael Kasprowicz taking match figures of 7-34, including 2-4 yesterday, Australia's pace attack is nailed down for the summer.
Andrew Bichel, 12th man for Australia 19 times, fears Lee could be lost in a twilight zone, if he does not play more as Bichel was at various stages of his career.
Though Lee is clearly Australia's fourth choice fast man, South Australian paceman Shaun Tait has started the season strongly and is gaining momentum.
Since leaving with the Australian side for India in late September, Lee has played only two first-class games, including a warm-up game in India and a four-dayer for NSW against New Zealand.
"I think we made the right decision," captain Ricky Ponting said of Australia electing to leave Lee out of the first Test, despite a push to play four fast bowlers.
"It's always hard picking the team. But Kasper bowled beautifully in the first innings and then again today.
"All the bowlers did a fantastic job, all the batters did a fantastic job.
"There's not much that we can sort of look at and improve on for the next game.
"But, in saying that, we will try and improve and get ourselves right and give ourselves the best chance of playing well in Melbourne."
- ROBERT CRADDOCK