Lee-Bichel debate set to rage again

PERTH - Australian cricket selectors might be tempted to impose tearaway Brett Lee on the fragile English batting lineup on a WACA pitch which could be the fastest in 20 years.

While incumbent Andy Bichel is still favoured for the third paceman's spot for the third Ashes Test starting Friday, Lee has an imposing record at the famed fast bowling paradise.

Lee, one of the quickest bowlers on the planet, has taken 15 wickets at 19.6 in his two Test appearances in the west and has been in career-best form at first-class level.

"We have potential for the fastest Test pitch since the early 80s," head curator Richard Winter wrote in Cricket WA magazine.

That can only aid Lee press for a recall after Bichel played in the opening two Ashes Tests this summer.

It was a devastating bowling display for NSW at the WACA three summers ago which elevated Lee to his Test debut against India in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

Bowling with frightening pace and swing Lee broke WA tail-ender Jo Angel's arm as the Blues claimed a rare outright victory in Western Australia.

The 32-year-old Bichel has taken five wickets at just over 36 against England in the Test series having missed out bowling in the tourists' second innings capitulation at the Gabba.

But while the statistics don't make great reading he took key wickets during the Adelaide Test including opener Michael Vaughan at the end of the first day.

Speedster Lee meanwhile has responded to his demotion with 21 wickets from two Pura Cup matches.

With weather expected to remain fine and warm this week, Winter expected it to be a good deck on which to bat first.

"It will still be a good pitch to bat on first, whoever survives the first two sessions will do well on it," he said.

Already trailing 2-0 in the five Test series, England returns to Perth tomorrow facing its eighth successive Ashes series defeat.

And the road doesn't get any easy for the tourists with Australia's opening bowling combination of Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie expected to extract every bit of bounce from the WACA pitch.

In its opening tour matches, two England bowlers found success on the WACA pitch but one has been ruled out of the series (Simon Jones), and the other is under a serious injury cloud (Andy Caddick) with a back problem.