Lee out for a month

Brett Lee has been ruled out for the rest of the second Test against Zimbabwe, and for the tri-series in India later this month. Diagnostic scans taken after he left the field in the second Test have revealed that he has a torn abdominal muscle, and will take around four weeks to recover.

`I am bitterly disappointed," said Lee. "I've worked really hard on my fitness and have basically gone through the past three seasons unscathed, so to miss this tour now is a major blow. I pretty much knew from my first ball this morning that something was wrong. There are times when I have stiffness and I can pretty much bowl through it - that's part and parcel of bowling - but this certainly felt worse. But hopefully we've identified the problem early and it won't turn into a bigger problem."

Errol Alcott, the physiotherapist of the Australian team, said, "The MRI and ultrasound revealed a disruption in Brett's stomach muscle. He will placed in a rehabilitation program and I am anticipating a recovery period of at least four weeks."