Brett Lee has 48 hours to prove his fitness or face missing the third Ashes Test between England and Australia at Edgbaston next Thursday.
The fast bowler has played no part in the Ashes so far with a side injury ruling him out of the Tests at the Swalec stadium and Lord's.
Austalia are in desperate need of an effective 'quick', due to the patchy form of bowling spearhead, Mitchell Johnson. But Lee must play in a practice match against Northamptonshire if he is to stand a chance of making the Edgbaston Test.
Lee, 32, was in red-hot form in Australia pre-series warm-up against the England Lions, taking six first-innings wickets, but his endeavours left the part-time singer with discomfort in his ribs.
Coach Tim Neilsen acknowledges the risks associated with picking Lee, and is eager not to rush his star bowler back into the side prematurely.
"We will see how we go. We are progressing him," Nielsen said. "The positive thing is that in a tour game we do have the flexibility on how much we can bowl him or how much we don't bowl him.
"He hasn't bowled yet, so we just have to sit with the medical staff over the next few days and chat: about how much we need to get into him and whether it is going to progress him to the stage where he could play in the third Test.
"My feeling is, if it is not going to mean he is available to play in the third Test match, we are going to have to be really careful about rushing him back."
Neilsen backed the under-fire Johnson to come good, thus negating the need to take a gamble on Lee's fitness.
Johnson leaked 200 runs during a baptism of fire at the home of cricket, but Neilsen suggests his form is just a temporary blip.
"We are not running from the fact that he didn't have a great test here, but he got better.
"The great thing about Mitch is that he is such a quick bloke and such a quick learner. If we can get one or two little things right I'm sure he will be back on track pretty quickly," Nielsen added.
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