Birthday special: Brett Lee – The fiery Australian speedster
Australia’s fast bowling reserves have always been amongst the best in the World. They easily had the fastest and most accurate pacers in the 2000s. But one bowler, who redefined the art of fast bowling, not just for Australia, but also the World, was Brett Lee.
Born on 8th November 1976, Brett Lee is one of the greatest fast bowlers to have played the game. Lee was spotted by ex-Australian captain Steve Waugh, who was extremely impressed by the young pacer and pushed for his selection. Eventually, Lee made his Test debut in December 1999, and his ODI debut just a month later. He excelled in both the formats equally in the initial years of his career.
He was fast, he was furious…
He made all the batsmen curious!Wishing the sensational @BrettLee_58 a very happy birthday ? ?#HappyBirthdayBrettLee pic.twitter.com/tJNehrvaN1
— 100MB (@100MasterBlastr) November 8, 2020
In each of his first two years, Lee conceded fewer than 20 runs for every wicket taken. He had one of the cleanest and most pleasing bowling actions, which helped him generate extreme pace. Lee consistently bowled 150km/h with ease. It is unlikely that every child growing through the 2000s didn’t try to copy Lee’s bowling action!
Lee troubled the best of the batsmen. He wasn’t a very tall, well-built bowler, his physical presence wasn’t as intimidating as the pacers of the yesteryears, but his pace did the job well enough for him. Lee ended up playing a crucial role in the 2003 World Cup win for Australia and his pace was the perfect foil for Glenn McGrath’s accuracy in Australia’s most successful Test team from 2000-2007.
Retirement from Tests but continued to play shorter formats
It isn’t easy to bowl at the pace Lee consistently did for years. Lee realised that, as with time, he found it difficult to maintain consistency, especially in Tests. Hence, after an injury he sustained in the 2008 Test series, he never played the longest format again and called time on his career in 2010.
He continued to play ODIs. He was also Australia’s highest wicket-taker in the 2011 World Cup bagging 13 scalps but eventually retired from all forms of international cricket by 2012. He had a glittering career where he picked up 310 wickets in 76 Tests and 380 in 221 ODIs to finish among the most successful bowlers ever. He also averaged more than 20 with the bat in Tests and had the capability to tonk a few.
Post-retirement life
Since retirement, Lee has managed to stay in touch with the game. He played the IPL till 2013 and was also part of KKR’s successful campaign in 2012. 2013 onwards he turned towards commentary and analysis. He has also been seen in a couple of movies. All in all, Lee has managed to enjoy his life after retirement the same way he did during his playing years. While fast bowlers are inherently aggressive, Lee’s personality was relatively calmer and nicer, and he always let the ball do the talking. His personality, coupled with his unreal consistency in bowling fast makes him one of the most loved and remembered players of the game. Happy Birthday, Brett Lee.
