Brett Lee out of tri-series with broken foot

The Australian cricket team suffered a massive blow today after its veteran pace spearhead Brett Lee was ruled out of the entire ODI tri-series against India and Sri Lanka due to a broken foot.

The 35-year-old pacer will remain out of action for four to six weeks, also leaving him in doubt for the tour of West Indies starting March 16.

Australia team doctor Trefor James said a bone in Lee's right foot broke when he was struck hard by Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni's slog in his followthrough in the second Twenty20 on Friday.

"He was able to complete the over, however the foot became more painful and swollen the following day. An X-ray has confirmed a fracture of the small toe," James said.

"We now expect Brett will return to cricket in four to six weeks."The replacement for Lee will be decided after today's first one-day international against India here.

Lee retired from Test cricket in 2008. In the shorter formats, he has taken 357 wickets at an average of 22.89 in 205 ODIs and 23 wickets in 23 Twenty20 internationals.