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Brett Lee's profile
by CricketArchive


Player:B Lee

DateLine: 3rd June 2008

 

Lee's career hasn't always been easy. He struggled against accusations of throwing, bean balls, stress fractures and other injuries, but now as the lead bowler of the Australian attack, he has matured over the years and added a lot of variations from his earlier days when it was the normal bouncer-yorker routine.

 

He made his Test debut against India in 1999 and in his very first match, impressed one and all as he rocked the Indian batting order with a five wicket haul. Since then, he has been hailed as one of the fastest bowlers in contemporary cricket and often speculation has been fired so much as to declare a competition between him and fellow Pakistani paceman Shoaib Akhtar to see who is the faster of two and can break the 100mph barrier. Between, his first seven Tests resulted in 42 wickets and he hasnÂ’t looked back ever since.

 

2001 was a bad year for him and it showed in his batting. He was supposed to blow away the English in the Ashes that year but instead it was the critics who tore his bowling apart. Then, an ankle injury struck to leave him even more miserable, unable to do anything abut his poor form. But he made amends soon, as he returned to domestic cricket after surgery and within three seasons, was again knocking on the doors of the selectors.

 

He came back for the 2005 Ashes series and earned plaudits for his brave performances with both the bat and ball. He nearly pulled off a win for Australia with a battling 43 at Edgbaston, and Andrew Flintoff's consoling him after that loss is the 2005 seriesÂ’ defining image. After the retirement of bowling lynchpins McGrath and Warne, it is now Lee who shoulders the bowling responsibility and has been an elder amongst the newcomers, even though his current new ball partner Stuart Clarke is elder to him in age.

 

After he retires, he intends to make a career, acting in movies in Bollywood, and even now, whenever he gets time, he strums up his guitar with his band Six and Out. For his poster boy image as well as his ability, he was bought by the Kings XI Punjab Franchise to play in the Indian Premier League.

 

One difference in his recovery last year was Australia needed his return to health. Previously Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie provided the cover, but the changes in the attack left Lee as the main man. And he excelled. Against Sri Lanka he was Man of the Series for his 16 wickets, another 24 came against India and by the time the West Indies campaign was over he had 58 Test victims at 21.55 in the post-McGrath era. The Allan Border Medal was another reward, along with the Test Player of the Year prize and the Pura Cup, which he helped seal with 97, his highest first-class score.

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