Lee excited over new era

Brett Lee, the Australian fast bowler, has said that the team are looking forward to playing without Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, the two bowling mainstays during Australia's remarkable success in the last decade.

"In the hard Test matches we've always been able to turn to McGrath or Warne to try to take a wicket and get the breakthrough," Lee said at the launch of the new international season. "Now we haven't got that. It's the start of a new era but it's exciting."

Lee will lead Australia's bowling attack in the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka, their first without McGrath and Warne. Stuart Clark, who is likely to play alongside him, tried to play down the similarity of his bowling to McGrath's. "You always want to be your own man," Clark said. "I'm not going to go out there to try and replace him. It's impossible - he's one of the greats.

"I'll go out and do a similar sort of role and hopefully some success can come that way."

Clark and Lee are likely to be joined in the pace attack by either Shaun Tait or Mitchell Johnson. "I'm looking forward to having a chance of bowling with Tait because he's got great pace and great aggression and that's what I pride myself on," Lee said. "What I can say on Johnson is that when he has had the opportunity to bowl with the brand new ball he has always done well."

Tait last played for Australia during the World Cup in West Indies, where he bagged 23 wickets in 11 matches. However, injury ruled him out of the World Twenty20 and the ODI series in India. Johnson was the leading wicket-taker during the series in India, with 14 wickets at 18.57 apiece.

The Australian team management will also have to decide between Brad Hogg and Stuart MacGill for the spinner's slot and an opening batsman in place of the retired Justin Langer.