Australian batsman Darren Lehmann faces possibly the most important fitness assessment of his career on Wednesday, with red-hot Martin Love poised to replace him for the fourth Ashes Test starting on Boxing Day.

Lehmann is in doubt for the match after he was admitted to hospital last night with an acute infection in his right leg.

He was put on a course of antibiotics and will be assessed on Wednesday.

Despite scoring 119 against Sri Lanka in Sunday's day-night clash in Perth, Lehmann is yet to cement his spot in the Test middle order, having failed to register a half century in four innings this series.

This week he admitted he needed a decent score in the remaining two matches to extend his Test career to Australia's tour of the West Indies next year.

But breathing down his neck is Love, 28, who is in career-best form and already has two double centuries against England this summer.

The Queenslander arrived in Melbourne this afternoon after a telephone call from chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns interrupted some pre-Christmas planning with fiance Deborah.

"I can't complain, plans have changed a little bit but it's something you look at on TV - that's what you do the day after Christmas is watch the Boxing Day Test so hopefully I can manage to play in one," Love said.

"There's a lot that can happen.

"I happen to be in form at the moment, I scored 190 against Tassie last week so that's the way I'm seeing it, it's just an opportunity at this stage to play one game.

"If Darren's fit then I've had that endorsement from the selectors that I was next in line so we'll just wait and see what happens over the next couple of days."

Love is enjoying an outstanding season, having hit 781 first-class runs at 130.16 and his youth and good slips catching have helped him emerge as a long-term option in the middle order.

His success against England - 250 for Queensland and an unbeaten 201 for Australia A - also gives him extra confidence.

"You're only as good as your next bat, but I guess I've had the experience against them and have scored some runs so that'll give me the bit of extra confidence that I may have been lacking if I was playing someone that I hadn't played before," he said.

Love will train with the Australian team, with either he or Lehmann to be granted the perfect Christmas gift.

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