Lehmann declared fit for ICC Champions Trophy
South Australian batsman Darren Lehmann will travel to Sri Lanka for next week's International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy tournament, after passing a fitness assessment on an injured finger.
Lehmann, who has missed the Tri-Nations Cup in Kenya due to a fracture of the little finger on his left hand, has been declared fit by Australian team doctor Trefor James to re-join the squad ahead of the Sri Lankan event.
He is also part of the Australian Test squad to face Pakistan in October.
The left-hander, who suffered the injury while playing for English county side, Yorkshire, said he was looking forward to resuming his place in the Australian side.
"Having seen Dr James for a second time, the prognosis was positive, and he is pleased with the way the injury has healed," Lehmann said.
"It goes without saying that I am looking forward to being part of the Australian side again, particularly for the ICC Champions Trophy, which is important to the team's preparation for next year's World Cup.
"The team is currently playing some very good cricket in Kenya and hopefully that form can be carried over into the Champions Trophy.
"From a personal perspective, I have played a lot of cricket for Yorkshire during the English summer, so I feel ready to go," he said.
Lehmann will travel to Sri Lanka on Friday 6 September with Australian coach John Buchanan, who missed the Travelex Tour of Kenya due to a back injury.
The Queensland-based Buchanan suffered an acute episode of lower back pain during the Australian side's final practice session ahead of the Kenyan tour.
He has since been restricted to 10 days of prescribed rest and physiotherapy.
Australia's first match of the ICC Champions Trophy is against New Zealand on 15 September at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.
© 2002 Australian Cricket Board
| Teams | Australia. |
| Players/Umpires | Darren Lehmann, John Buchanan. |
| Tournaments | ICC Champions Trophy |
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