Lee 'gutted' by injury blow: Oz team physio

St. Lucia, Apr 29(ANI): Australian team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris has said that fast bowler Brett Lee is "gutted" by his latest injury, which has ruled him out of the Twenty20 World Cup and also raises doubts over his international career.

Lee sustained a muscle strain in his right forearm during the warm up game against Zimbabwe.

"He was very disappointed - gutted. It would be very, very hard I would imagine. In the last 12 months he has hardly played and he has had four different injuries," The Herald Sun quoted Kountouris, as saying.

"He had ankle surgery early last year, he had that side strain in England, and then he got that elbow injury after that. One is sort of a consequence of another," he added.

Kountouris maintained the injury is unrelated to Lee's career-threatening surgery on the same elbow late last year, and said the fast bowler could be back in action within five weeks.

"I think as a long-term injury it shouldn't be that serious. It's basically a strain on his forearm muscle just on the inside of his elbow. We don't see a lot of them. His long-term future is not the problem," Kountouris said.

"The issue now is whether Lee can summon the mental strength for yet another comeback for a body that keeps asking: when is enough enough?" he added.

The 33-year-old Lee, who has also battled foot, ankle and rib problems, had retired from Test cricket in February to prolong his career in the shorter forms of the game. (ANI)