Australia bowling legend Brett Lee has voiced his doubts about his country's rotation policy, saying he felt it gave players easy caps and that people should play if they were in good form.

Lee, who retired from the international game in July 2012 after 76 Tests and 221 ODIs, was commenting on the side that played against Sri Lanka in Melbourne, which featured three debutants and a new skipper in George Bailey.

The media had suggested that the side, which won by 107 runs at the MCG, incidentally, was a second-string team, which Bailey took offense to. But Lee seemed to suggest the same thing, as they were without a number of senior players.

The retired fast bowler said: "I believe, and I'm a bit old school, that you've got to earn your right to play for Australia.

"You don't want to breed a culture where you're looking over your shoulder every time -- who's out this week? Who's getting rested? Who's coming in because there are four or five guys waiting to take my spot?.

"On the one hand I think it's great that everybody's getting an opportunity. But also, if I'm a paying member of the public, I want to see Australia's number one side. What is that side? I don't know, no one knows."

Lee added of the science behind the rotation decisions: "It's all speculation, there is no proven stats as to a certain amount of balls you can bowl.

"People are getting rested on what if someone gets injured. I just don't reckon you can do that, you can't have a what if sort of policy."