Waugh diagnosed with DVT

Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh has confirmed he is suffering from deep vein thrombosis (DVT), the potentially fatal condition better known as " economy class syndrome".

But the 36-year-old said his case was not considered serious and, while he was receiving daily medication to thin his blood, he still expected to be ready to lead Australia in this summer's First Test against New Zealand starting on 8 November.

Waugh said: "It sounds bad but it's not considered to be too serious.

"It has to be monitored week-by-week but I'll be back before the First Test match." Waugh developed a blood clot in his lower left leg when he tore a calf muscle in the Third Ashes Test against England in July.

The injury forced him to miss the Fourth Test, which Australia lost, but he returned to play in the fifth and final game, scoring an unbeaten century to complete-a 4-1 series victory for his team.

DVT occurs when potentially dangerous clots form in deep blood vessels. The condition often occurs after long periods of immobility, such as those experienced on long flights, and Waugh suspects the trip back to Australia may have contributedto his condition. He said: "I had some treatment when I got back home and noticed the soreness was more than what I'd expected or what I had in England.

"I had an inkling something wasn't quite right so we decided to have all bases covered and DVT was one of the tests we had done."