Australia face an anxious wait over the fitness of fast bowler Brett Lee for Wednesday's first Ashes Test against England after he suffered a rib injury.

Lee, one of the survivors from the 2005 Australia squad that lost the Ashes 2-1 in England, indicated soreness in the left side of his ribs after last week's draw with the England Lions where he appeared to bowl himself into contention for the Test team.

The 32-year-old quick was due to undergo a scan later Monday and the results may not be available until Tuesday morning.

Lee, who has taken over 300 Test wickets, struck six times against the second-string Lions at Worcester.

Prior to this tour, he had been sidelined with foot and heel injuries and so missed the 2-1 series win in South Africa earlier this year where Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle starred in his absence.

Lee has not played Test cricket since December when South Africa beat Australia by nine wickets in Melbourne.

AFP

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