The surgery involved the removal of bone fragments that had been causing pain at the back of the ankle.

Lee also sustained a stress fracture of a metatarsal bone during the second cricket Test against South Africa in Melbourne.

With the fracture expected to keep the pacer out of cricket for some time, Cricket Australia decided that it would be an opportune time to address his ankle injury which he sustained during New Zealand tour last year.

Incidentally, the ankle injury also kept him out of Australia's Caribbean World Cup triumph last year.

Australian team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris said he is expecting Lee to return to full fitness before this year's Twenty20 World Cup in England.