CAPTAIN Ricky Ponting wants Brett Lee steaming in at breakneck speed against English batsmen on the Ashes tour.
Lee has been unable to get back into the Australian Test XI despite his outstanding form in international one-day games.
His run as 12th man during the recent Test series against Pakistan and New Zealand has been frustrating for the paceman and his fans.
"Everyone would love to see Brett get another go at it," Ponting said after a round of golf in Estoril, Portugal, where he is attending the Laureus world sports awards.
"Whether that comes in this Ashes series I don't know. I'd like to see it happen, but the other guys are world-class bowlers doing their absolute best and it makes it difficult for him to get in there."
Ponting is talking about his three-pronged pace attack of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz.
McGrath is one short of his 500th Test wicket, Gillespie needs two more to reach 250 and Kasprowicz has just passed the 100 wicket milestone.
So what can Lee, with 139 Test scalps from 37 matches, do to push past the incumbents?
"He has done everything he can already," Ponting said. "He's bowled as well as I have seen him ever in that last one-day series in New Zealand.
"He bowled probably faster than I have ever seen and he's swinging it. He's doing everything in his power to give himself the best chance of playing.
"Unfortunately for him the guys in the side are doing such a wonderful job and have done for two years."
While Ponting is happy with his outstanding pace attack, he's pleased to see Shane Warne get a first-class hundred during his current stint in county cricket as Hampshire captain.
"Warne is a lot better batsman than his overall record suggests. It was just a matter of time (before he got a first-class century)," Ponting said.
Warne's Australian team-mate Simon Katich is also playing for Hampshire and scored a century in the same game against Kent.
"It is great for our players over there to have some good solid cricket under their belts and to be making runs," Ponting said.
"Warney has taken some wickets as well and has a gauge on some of the players we'll be coming up against like (Andrew) Strauss. He's had a good look at them and that's good for us."
- LOUISE EVANS