NSW can't pick Lee for Tasmania match

Brett Lee celebrates a wicket for New South Wales © Getty Images

Brett Lee will not be allowed to play for New South Wales in their Pura Cup match against Tasmania, starting at Sydney on Thursday, even though it seems unlikely that he will make the starting XI for the first Test against Pakistan.

New South Wales officials were willing to delay the start of the game to accommodate Lee, but their suggestion was turned down by Cricket Australia. "Sod's Law says that Australia could get to Sydney with the series one-all, there'll be an injury and Brett will have to play without a decent run under his belt," David Gilbert, the New South Wales chief executive, told the The Sydney Morning Herald. "I thought that where there was a will, there would be a way, but unfortunately we've been rejected. I just feel that we in cricket are all in the entertainment industry, but sometimes we take ourselves a bit seriously. Apart from his lack of cricket, Brett is pure box office."

Under current regulations, Lee would not be able to bat or bowl if he started the Pura Cup game as a substitute on the second day. Michael Brown, the Cricket Australia operations manager, said that it was not clear that Lee would be 12th man at Perth, and any discussion on the law change for substitutes would occur at the end of the summer. "You'd be putting a match back a day in the hope that he might be available," he said. "That would set a bit of a precedent."

New South Wales suffered another setback when a leg injury again forced out Stuart Clark. Doug Bollinger, who took a hat-trick in the ING Cup match against South Australia on Saturday, has been called up.

New South Wales Simon Katich (capt), Doug Bollinger, Nathan Bracken, Phil Jaques, Brad Haddin (wk), Jason Krejza, Greg Mail, Stuart MacGill, Matthew Nicholson, Matthew Phelps, Dominic Thornely.