Brett Lee has been earmarked to take the permanent place as the spearhead of Australia's bowling attack after Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne play their final Test matches.

Lee did an admirable job leading the pace attack for most of 2006, when McGrath stood out of cricket to help his wife Jane in her battle against cancer.

But with the retiring McGrath and Warne to no longer to be a part of Australian Test attacks within a fortnight, captain Ricky Ponting has backed Lee to head the pack long-term despite the speedster's indifferent Ashes series so far.

The first three Tests of the series yielded only eight wickets at over 58 runs apiece for Lee, although he has removed Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff and Ian Bell all twice.

Ponting was hopeful Lee had ironed the technical kinks out of his game for the fourth Test at the MCG, which starts on Tuesday.

"He's taken eight wickets in three Tests, he'd probably be a little disappointed with that," Ponting said.

"But I know he's worked really hard the last two days, he's worked on his run-up a bit, he thought he's probably been a little bit flat in his delivery stride and struggled for a little bit of rhythm in the first few games, but he's working hard on that.

"I think we've seen in Perth (during the third Test) as well, probably in the second innings more so, where he started to swing the new ball again, which is really pleasing, that goes to show that some of his technique things are starting to pay off."

Ponting said Lee had been able to get early wickets with the new ball in both Test and one-day international matches in recent years.

"Swinging the new ball at express pace is what his game's all about and he probably hasn't done that as much as he would have liked in the first few games," he said.

"But he's certainly working hard at that and I've got no doubt going forward that he's going to be that wicket-taking option that the team needs."

While Lee has long been the heir apparent as Australia's No.1 quick, the main spinner's role is likely to come down to a battle between the long-time understudy and the new kid over the next year.

Ponting said legspinner Stuart MacGill and offspinner Dan Cullen were the main spinning options Australia would look at once Warne was gone.

"They've been the guys that have been around the squad the most, Dan played that Test match in Bangladesh," he said.

"Stuey's record, as we all know, is pretty remarkable for Australia and he's made it pretty clear that he thinks he's going to play on for another couple of years, so those guys will be looked at."

MacGill, 35, has taken 198 wickets in 40 Tests and could come into consideration for the fifth Test in Sydney, while Cullen, 22, took one wicket in his one and only Test in Chittagong.

Ponting said Australia was well-stocked for young spinners, and nominated one of Cullen's South Australian teammates, legspinner Cullen Bailey, as a potential Test player.

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