Brett Lee was an Australian fast bowler who was known as one of the best bowlers across all three formats of cricket. Lee’s reputation as a top fast bowler precedes him as most players hold him in high regard.
Lee started playing cricket early in his life and he took to playing as a fast bowler. This would be his role for the rest of his sporting life as he quickly became one of the most recognisable bowlers in the country.
The fast bowler was part of the Aussie squad that won the 2003 World Cup. He was a crucial cog in the system as the most reliable fast bowler in the country. He was truly their ace bowler because he could clock around 140 km/h or 87 mph and above. That is a stellar statistic because it was competitive against any fast bowler in the world.
He decided to retire from all forms of cricket back in 2015 but his legacy remains. The Australian former international cricketer is not only an intelligent cricketing mind but he is also a well-spoken man which has led to his role as a pundit in his post-retirement years.
Lee was crucial for Australia’s success in the 2000s
During his career, Lee was regularly seen as one of the best fast bowlers that the world had at the time. He was crucial for their success because there were cases when their batting was trending downward, you can expect that the Aussies will have Lee help them bounce back to the top. It was a reliable strategy because Lee was such a consistent player.
Lee was successful because always worked hard to help the team. He struggled with injuries because of this but you can’t blame him for helping his team achieve the most that they can with him as an ace bowler.
He was not only a stellar player but he was also a positive presence in the locker room. Lee was a good friend to his teammates and he always encouraged them to perform at their best level. That kind of player is what you need on any team because not only are they valuable teammates but they also back their positivity up on the field with their stellar performances.
Lee was arguably the best fast bowler in the world
With the only exception being his rival, Shoaib Akhtar, Lee was the fastest bowler in the world. He was consistent for his entire career but that consistency took a toll on his body as he suffered many injuries. With how he regularly threw around 140 km/h, you can expect that he would remain consistent for his entire career.
This was not natural talent either because Lee always talked about how hard he worked behind the scenes. He loved to fix the problems that he saw with his play because that was the way he could get back and help his teammates.
He modified his bowling action during his career because he was struggling with injuries and he wanted to catch their opponents off guard.
Lee said, ‘The first thing I had to work out was whether to change the top half or the bottom half of my body action. After speaking to Dennis (Lillee), I came to the conclusion that it is very hard to change the bottom half. That’s your base. So I had to adjust above the waist. I’ve moved my arm from having gone a long way across my chest, to make me look through that window, to shifting over to my left, so I’m almost fully front-on now. Not totally, because my back foot doesn’t face straight down the wicket, more at 45 degrees’.
This kind of dedication to his craft was exactly what people saw in Lee which led to his long-term success in Australia.
Lee is still held in high regard
Even if he retired almost a decade ago, Brett Lee is still one of the most highly-regarded Aussie cricketers of all time. He is an icon for fast bowlers not just for Aussies but he is also seen as a star in countries like India. He was the only man who could come close to Akthar in the past which led to him gaining some fans.
If you are looking for an Australian former international cricketer who deserves to be spotlighted, Brett Lee is the answer because he was a crucial cog in their success.