Sydney, Oct 14: Australian Batsman Darren Lehmann, who is suffering Achilles tendon trouble, is racing to be fit for the second cricket Test against Zimbabwe starting here on Friday. The 33-year-old left-hander said today he was unsure if he would be fit to play this week but would be receiving intensive treatment to improve his recovery.
"I feel pretty good, it has pulled up a lot better than I thought it would, it was from bowling so many overs," Lehmann said.
"I think I will be right to go, but you never know."
Simon Katich is standing by to play in his second test if Lehmann pulls out of the 14-man squad.
Katich will be hoping to be lucky. He was on the verge of a national call-up in Sri Lanka in 1999 before contracting chicken pox and a subsequent virus.
He made his test debut in the fourth test of the 2001 Ashes tour of England, but has only just returned to national team reckoning after moving from Perth to Sydney last year.
Australia has major bowling worries with Jason Gillespie (side strain), Glenn Mcgrath (ankle) and Shane Warne (12-month suspension) all sidelined, while leg-spinner Stuart Macgill (calf) is in doubt for his home test.
"It is just a concern heading into a pretty hectic schedule," Lehmann said.
But Lehmann, who has scored 995 runs at 49.75 in 15 tests, denied Australia's bowling stocks had been exposed with quick Brad Williams and wrist spinner Brad Hogg set for call-ups.
"There is a lot of good depth around Australian cricket, we are not really too concerned about it," he said.
Lehmann said Zimbabwe, who were beaten by an innings and 175 runs in the first Perth test, would have been disappointed with their bowling but heartened by their batting performance.
"It was a pretty flat wicket in Perth which is very unlike Perth and did not have any pace and bounce in it," he said of the early season Waca pitch.
"But we are expecting Sydney to have a bit more pace and bounce."
Bureau Report