Lee lands Ireland coaching job

Brett Lee is the latest former Australia cricketer to be handed a role at the ICC Cricket World Cup role, coaching Ireland's bowlers in the lead-up to the tournament.

Cricket Ireland's announcement on Thursday that it had secured the recently retired fast bowler's services came hours after confirmation that former Australia batsman Mike Hussey had been drafted by South Africa.

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One of the fastest bowlers of his generation, Lee took 310 wickets in 76 Tests with his 221 one-day internationals - including one against the Irish in 2012 - yielding 380 wickets.

Ireland coach and former West Indies batsman Phil Simmons hopes Lee can pass on some of his experience as the minnows look to defeat a Test nation for the third successive World Cup.

"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," said Simmons in a Cricket Ireland statement.

"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 fanatstic opportunity for our bowlers to learn from a living legend and one I’m sure they’ll all benefit from."

Lee, 38, bowed out of playing all forms of professional cricket last month after narrowly missing out on a last-ball hat-trick in the Sydney Sixers defeat by the Perth Scorchers in the final of the KFC T20 Big Bash League.

The Irish play Sydney grade club side Randwick Petersham in a 50-over friendly on Friday before official warm-up games against Scotland (Tuesday) and Bangladesh (Thursday).

Both Ireland and South Africa, who are not in the same World Cup group as Australia, begin the tournament proper with matches in New Zealand.

South Africa face African neighbours Zimbabwe in Hamilton on February 15 while Ireland open their Pool B campaign against the West Indies in Nelson a day later.