New Delhi, Oct. 29: Troubles for the injury-ravaged Australians increase by the day. There was more bad news in store for the world champions after a 99-run walloping in Nagpur, with wicketkeeper Tim Paine flying home with a broken finger.

Their premier strike bowler Brett Lee is also on the sidelines after injuring his elbow in the first ODI at Baroda. Lee gave skipper Ricky Ponting reason to smile after raising hopes that he might return for the third ODI here on Saturday.

"It is just a slight injury to my elbow but I’ll know a bit more about it after a training session tomorrow." Australia’s pace spearhead said here on Thursday.

"I have been playing almost non-stop cricket for the last few months and I would have got a break sooner or later in this series. This injury probably came as a forced break from which I can come back stronger," Lee said.

"I am eager to return, (James) Hopes is also very keen while (Moises) Henriques has already joined the team. There are other guys waiting in the wings. We were outclassed yesterday but it doesn’t mean we are finished," he added.

The speedster contradicted Ponting and refused to blame Champions League T20 as the reason for the spate of injuries in the Australia camp. "The injuries are nothing to do with the Champions League. As for me, after only bowling in the nets during the Ashes series I want to get as much bowling in as possible," he said.

In 2009, Lee has 21 ODI wickets in 13 matches at an impressive average of 23.85. The paceman made a successful comeback from an ankle surgery and has already hit top gear in his bowling.

"To consistently bowl at 150 kph for 10-15 years will obviously result in some wear and tear but I am not finished yet. I am feeling fresh and still have lot more years of cricket left," he said.

On his immediate aims, Lee said, "I want to play Test cricket and want my spot back. I had a perfect Champions Trophy and before that the England ODIs also went well. If I put up a big performance here, I can surely stake a claim for a Test match berth."

The New South Wales paceman was simply unplayable on a Kotla pitch thathad nothing for the fast bowlers during the Champions League. He is now ready to pass on some important tips to his teammates before the crucial third ODI.

"I don’t think that the pitch will be too different from what we saw in the Champions League. NSW had a few plans to succeed on this wicket and I’ll pass those inputs to the team," the 32-year-old said.

Manou replaces Paine

With Paine ruled out for the rest of the series, Australia included rookie wicketkeeper Graham Manou in their squad for the remaining five matches against India. "Cricket Australia’s National Selection Panel announced South Australian captain Graham Manou as the replacement on the tour of India for Tim Paine," CA said in a statement.

The 30-year-old Manou’s ODI debut, set for October 31 here.