Mindful of Shaun Tait's sudden withdrawal from cricket, Australia will look to rest chief destroyer Brett Lee during the one-day tri-series so he, too, does not become worn out.
With paceman Tait taking indefinite leave to deal with physical and psychological stress, Australian coach Tim Nielsen said it was important Lee was rested after an arduous start to the season.
Following Sunday night's washout against India, Lee hinted he would be ready for a break after Friday's match against Sri Lanka, no surprise considering he has played non-stop since late September.
"I have bowled a lot of balls this summer and my workload has increased a fair bit," Lee said. "We'll have to wait and see [about a rest]. I'm looking forward to playing in Sydney in front of my home crowd, and we'll see what happens after that."
Nielsen said Lee's leadership and role in Australia's bowling arsenal was crucial, but that keeping him fresh was a more important factor.
"His resilience has been outstanding, he is in such a great vein of form," the coach told the Herald last night. "That is why it is critical that we do give him a spell at some stage in order to increase his longevity for as long as possible.
"He has played a massive part in our team, he has been brilliant for us all summer. He has bowled long spells, aggressive spells. We are certainly conscious of the fact Brett has worked hard. We will need to sit down and choose a time [to rest him] which suits Brett and the team. It is important that he is fresh and going well."
Lee's teammate Michael Hussey said the pressures on the modern-day cricketer far exceeded public perception.
"I don't know what it was like back in other eras, but I think it's very tough," Hussey said. "And it's a lot tougher than what people do think. What I've learned and what I've experienced is playing international cricket, there's so much in the package. The actual playing the game - which is hard enough in itself - is a very small part of the whole package of playing cricket for Australia.
"There's appearances, travel, media commitments, sponsors, functions, training, time away from family and friends that all have an impact on how you're coping. And it's really tough."
Hussey added that the Australian players had not detected signs of Tait's silent struggle. "We didn't pick up too much," he said. "He's a genuine character, a great bloke to have around and he was his usual self. Deep down he was obviously battling pretty hard and going through a tough time. All the guys have been in touch and are hoping he can get through this. When he does come back a few guys will have to take him under their wing."
Hussey said he endured his own dark times when he was dropped by Western Australia, and credited a strong network of family and friends that helped him through.
In other news, a suicide bombing in Rawalpindi threw Australia's proposed tour of Pakistan into further doubt last night. At least five were killed when a bomber, strapped with explosives, ploughed his motorcycle into an army bus carrying several people.
Cricket Australia chairman Creagh O'Connor is set to receive a proposed tour schedule from his Pakistani counterpart, Nasim Ashraf, in Dubai today.
The attack came on the same day Zimbabwean stand-in captain Hamilton Masakadza praised security arrangements in Pakistan after his team's five-match one-day tour.
"We were looked after very well and security wasn't a worry for us in Pakistan," he said. "We were given proper care throughout our stay for which we are thankful. Pakistan is a safe country."
Pakistan Cricket Board chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi said the spate of suicide attacks was calculated and directed towards government officials and authorities, and maintained the tour would be safe.
"The Zimbabwe tour was a test case, and we got through that without incident," he said.
Nielsen said he had "complete faith" in CA's security assessment process. "All I can do is trust those people that make the decisions, and they have made it clear they will not put us at any risk," Nielsen said.
CA has maintained its decision will not be influenced by day-to-day events. A pre-tour security visit of the unsettled nation is likely to happen after the general election on February 18.
- JAMIE PANDARAM