Brett Lee to aid Ireland's WC prep

Brett Lee will join the Ireland team as their bowling coach during the warm-up phase of the World Cup, a Cricket Ireland release said.

Lee, who recently retired from all forms of cricket, was a valuable addition to Ireland's pre-tournament preparations, Phil Simmons, the Ireland coach, said.

"Brett Lee has a wonderful knowledge of fast bowling, and his special insight of Australian pitches will help give our bowlers further confidence ahead of their group matches," Simmons said.

"I'm sure all our bowlers will benefit from the experience that a World Cup winner has accumulated, especially in the pressure situations of a global event.

"It's a fantastic opportunity for our bowlers to learn from a living legend and one I'm sure they'll all benefit from."

Ireland are scheduled to play two warm-up matches in Sydney - against Scotland on February 10 and against Bangladesh two days later - before their first match, against West Indies in Nelson.

Apart from the two official warm-up matches, Ireland are also scheduled to play a 50-over friendly against Randwick Petersham on Friday, February 6.