Indian strategy worked for Lee by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Player:	B Lee
Event:	Australia in British Isles 2009

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DateLine: 6th July 2009

 

Brett Lee revealed that he got devastating reverse swing in Australia's final warm-up game against the England Lions after employing an Indian strategy. The Aussie pacer scalped six wickets against the Lions and his comeback to form helped him claim a place in the Ashes side.

 

During Australia's tour of India last October, Indian fast bowlers Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan bowled with scrambled seam which enabled the ball to deteriorate and start to reverse swing quicker. Australia is also planning to use the same strategy against England in the first Test.

 

"Normally in Australia, with greener wickets and greener outfields, we tend to try to bowl seam up for the first 20 or 30 overs and then see what happens after that. Over here in England and in a place like the subcontinent, it is a little bit different," Lee said.

 

"We thought the first three or four overs, we would just see if the ball swings, but it didn't swing a lot. So, then we changed it around and bowled a bit across the seam to try to scuff it up and it started to go (reverse) after about 10 or 12 overs.

 

"We have worked with (bowling coach) Troy Cooley on different techniques to get the ball to swing. We have been working hard and hopefully that will pay dividends in the first Test," he was quoted as saying by The Australian.