Brett Lee, former fast bowler and one of the biggest stars of Australian cricket, was formally inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame. This award acknowledges his outstanding performance to the sport on the summer of Australian domination. As you can imagine, Lee had quite an illustrious career from 1999 to 2012. His stellar accomplishments on the pitch have rightfully made his legend one of the game’s best fast bowlers.
Born in Wollongong, New South Wales, Lee made his mark early on as he set his sights on becoming a premier fast bowler at just nine years old. His goal was to exceed the 160 kilometers per hour threshold. Not only did he meet that goal, he broke it in style by scoring a truly remarkable fastest delivery of 161.1 km/h. Lee is known for his home run speed. He represents the new wave of speed/arrive violence, which has become the hallmark of his play style.
A Career of Milestones
During his time on the international stage Lee took a staggering 310 wickets in 76 Test matches. He had an incredible run in One Day Internationals (ODIs), ending his 221-match ODI career with 380 wickets. Further, he was exceptional in the T20 International arena, taking 28 wickets in only 25 matches. Ross was instrumental in Australia’s success in winning three consecutive ICC Cricket World Cup titles. Those triumphs in 1999, 2003 and 2007 engraved his name as one of the world-class cricketers all-time.
Lee’s career was highlighted by several successful Ashes campaigns, where he strutted his stuff against arch-rivals England. His knack for rising to the occasion and providing game-changing discoveries made him a competitive lyophilized power player for the Australian squad.
Mentorship and Growth
Brett Lee credits tons of his success to mentorship from Australian cricket great Dennis Lillee. He remembers Lillee telling him it was important to make changes to his bowling action to prevent injury.
“You’re the quickest here, but if you don’t change your [bowling] action, in two years I reckon you’ll have a broken back,” – Brett Lee referring to Dennis Lillee.
Lee himself looks back on his journey and what Lillee’s mentorship meant to him. Under his mentorship, Lee stretched the limits of pace while mastering the physical toll of express fast bowling.
“Throughout my whole career, he’s been incredible in modifying my action, changing my action and allowing me to play. I wouldn’t say pain-free, but to get to the speeds I did,” – Brett Lee.
The Thrill of Fast Bowling
Fast bowling had always been Lee’s burning desire, in every phase of his career. He captures the joy of smashing stumps as he bowled his quick ball.
“I wanted to bowl quick and to have that thrill of being able to run in and see the stumps fly; it became this obsession,” – Brett Lee.
At 49 years of age today, Lee looks back on his rollercoaster journey with a great sense of pride and appreciation. He admits that all his dreams of bowling at incredible speeds came through effort and focus.
“I thought, ‘I want to have a crack at that one day’, and I was lucky to achieve it,” – Brett Lee.
