Australian paceman Brett Lee says he is available for the upcoming Test tour of India.
Aussie fast bowler back in contention after personal problems
Australian paceman Brett Lee says he is available for the upcoming Test tour of India.
Lee has had personal problems and skipped the one-day series with Bangladesh after his marriage collapsed, but now he says he is ready to get back out onto the cricket field.
The 31-year-old joined up with his Australian team-mates for a light training session on Thursday and is now looking forward to getting back to action.
Australia will name their squad next week for the tour of India with the four-Test series starting on October 9.
Lee thought about missing out on the tour but now says he is feeling fresh and wants to face the challenging trip to the sub-continent.
Good tour
"India is a great place to tour; the culture, the food, the people, and the atmosphere (and) the crowds over there are just brilliant," said Lee.
"Even though they may be cheering for the Indians, they've still got a love for Australians.
"It's a tough place to play cricket, but also very enjoyable."
Lee has never played Test cricket in India although he is such a big star in the country, but he still only made a late decision to make the trip.
"It's only been the last couple of days," Lee said.
"It's been one of those things where it was just going to be a time thing, so if it didn't work out and I didn't think I was fit enough or I wasn't ready to go, more so mentally.
"But I'm feeling great on both fronts and I'm actually looking forward to it."
Break
Lee did not discuss his marriage, but says it was good to get away from Sydney to join his team-mates, and that his break from cricket has actually done him some good.
"I thought it would be a wise move to get out of Sydney and just come up here and spend some time in Darwin and see how the lads are going and get back into the feel of things again," he said.
"I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks.
"The time I've had away from cricket both physically and mentally, it actually freshened me right up so I hope down the back-end this is going to prolong my cricketing life," he said.
"I'm right, I'm feeling fit, I'm feeling fresh and I'm looking forward to the next tour."
