Australian fast bowler Brett Lee has said that would like to play a short spell of county cricket ahead of this summer’s Ashes series in England.

Lee, who has used a Woodworm cricket bat, is currently playing for the Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League but he is due to interrupt his stint there to link up with the Australian limited-overs squad in the United Arab Emirates.

Lee underwent surgery on foot an ankle injuries in January, now hopes to increase his workload ahead of the Ashes series.

He has been pencilled in to make his international comeback in a Twenty20 match against Pakistan in Dubai on May 7 and the final stages of the IPL thereafter, provided he gets clearance from Australia’s medical staff.

"My aim is to try and play as much cricket as I can before the Ashes and the Twenty20 World Cup," Lee said.

"There is no point me going back to Sydney and resting for two weeks; I may as well be playing competitive cricket.

"We have to work out a gameplan from here. I will speak to [Australian coach] Tim [Nielsen] and [physiotherapist] Alex [Kountouris] to see what the best course of action is.

“My whole goal right now is to play in the Ashes, and also the World Twenty20. The IPL will give me an opportunity to continue to improve my skills and is a stepping stone to my major goal, which is the Ashes.

"There could be an opportunity to play some kind of county cricket ... but I'm not sure how that would work out. For me, it's about trying to get as much cricket as I can under my belt once I'm fully fit, and the IPL is a perfect way for me to start stepping up my workload."