WELLINGTON: Australian fast bowler Brett Lee is poised to play domestic Twenty20 cricket in New Zealand as he seeks a career swansong at next year`s World Cup, a report said Wednesday.

Lee retired from Test cricket earlier this year after a string of injuries but is desperate to cap his international career by appearing for Australia at the showpiece in February, Wellington`s Dominion Post newspaper reported.

It said Lee`s manager Neil Maxwell had secured provisional agreement from Cricket Australia for the bowler to play for Wellington Firebirds in New Zealand`s Twenty20 competition and he expected no objections from Cricket NSW.

"We`re just waiting for something in writing.... We just want to lock that away in the next week or so," he told the newspaper.

Maxwell said the 33-year-old was showing glimpses of his old form in the nets after recovering from an arm injury.

"He`s rolling his arm over comfortably, about 130 kilometres (80 miles) an hour without too much effort, he reckons, so he`ll start cranking it up now," he said.

Lee has a large following in India, which is co-hosting the World Cup with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, and has said previously that an appearance at the tournament would be a fitting end to his international career.


BDST: 1100 HRS, SEPTEMBER 22, 2010