Michael Hussey is confident Australia new boy Brett Geeves can make the most of the opportunity presented to him by Brett Lee's absence in the upcoming Commonwealth Bank Series against Bangladesh in Darwin.

Geeves has been called into the Australia squad to replace Lee, who has taken time off to deal with issues in his personal life. But while the loss of Lee is a blow for the hosts, the 31-year-old's absence gives Geeves an opportunity to show what he can do.

"It's great for Brett Geeves," said Hussey. "He's really performed well for Tasmania in the past couple of years, particularly in one-day cricket. He really deserves his chance. I don't know him that well, so I'm looking forward to that."

Geeves has impressed Hussey when the two have played against each other at state level and the Western Australian expects the big Tasmanian to do well if he is called upon in the three-match series which starts on Saturday August 30.

"He's a very aggressive bowler, a strong bustling bowler," said Hussey. "He can swing the new ball and get the old ball to reverse a little bit.

"Generally, he hits the pitch very hard. He's very disciplined and he's also a very handy lower-order hitter as well. He's got some good assets to bring to our team."

Australia have played without Lee in key matches before, including the 2007 World Cup which the paceman missed with an ankle injury.

"We played the whole World Cup without Brett and that was a big loss, but it gave Shaun Tait an opportunity to stamp his name on the world scene," Hussey recalled.

"Not having Brett there does give someone else an opportunity to really put their hand up and show that they can perform at the highest level.

"Having said that, Brett's our spearhead and we want him back as quickly as possibly."