Brett Lee

Arguably the fastest bowler ever, Brett Lee was a potent weapon in Australia's armoury during their glory days of the 2000s. If facing Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne wasn't threatening enough, opposition batsmen rarely had the luxury of getting of taking a breather as they had to contend with the raw pace of Lee. Masterly with the new ball and equally if not more threatening with the older ball, the New South Wales pacer had every trick in the book which made him a complete fast bowler by all means. Generally, it was the outswinger that was Lee's major trump card although his pace meant that a searing yorker or a whizzing bouncer were always around the corner. A fast bowling great in the ODI format, Lee couldn't quite replicate the same amount of success in Tests although he did finish with over 300 scalps in the longest format. Clearly, injuries also hindered him but even then, he seemed to enjoy the 50-over format more.

Exceptional performances in the U17 and U19 section earned Lee plenty of accolades, scholarships and eventually, a national call up in 1999. It was in the Test squad that he got picked first and he celebrated it with a fifer on debut. He maintained the momentum over the next few Tests with a flurry of wickets at a fantastic average and healthy strike rate to make an emphatic statement to the cricketing world. Lee's Test success had seen him enter into the ODI squad as well and he seamlessly fitted into both the formats for Australia. The new few years saw middling returns in Tests for Lee whose body had started to creak due to his fondness for extreme speed. Injury prone pacers who bowl with high speeds tend to generally cut down on their speeds to prevent mishaps but Lee didn't believe in that theory. He always felt that his USP as a bowler was genuine pace and he wasn't willing to compromise on that part.

Lee's exceptional speeds meant that his variations as a bowler became doubly effective, often foxing the batsmen all ends up with this slower deliveries and off cutters. He had a good repertoire in his arsenal and this was a major reason for his immense success as an ODI bowler. Also, Ricky Ponting's captaincy saw Lee blooming further. Although he mostly played supporting role to McGrath and Gillespie, his steady maturity as a pacer soon made him a gun bowler. Lee enjoyed bowling on the grandest stage of them all - the World Cup where his wicket-taking ability used to be at its peak. He was part of the successive title-winning Australian squads of 2003 and 2007 while also taking part in the 2011 edition where they were eliminated in the quarterfinal. He played on for a year more before calling it quits from all forms of international cricket. A fragile body and an intention to prolong his limited-overs career had earlier forced him to retire from Tests in 2008.

Lee potency with the white ball made him an perfect fit for the then emerging T20 format. Despite Australia not having great success in it, he was certainly among those who adapted comfortably to the format. The result was a decent stint in the Indian Premier League and consquently, the Big Bash League in Australia. After the BBL season in 2014-15, he decided to bid farewell from all forms of cricket. A fierce competitor on the field, Lee seldom let his emotions get the better of him despite being an aggressive character. He loved to take the opposition on but was also a graceful loser whenever things didn't work for him, often accepting things with his trademark grin. Off the field, Lee was a thorough gentleman and enjoyed a good camaraderie with opposition players. He was also among the rare Australian players who had significant popularity in India.

While his bowling was unquestionably what defined him as a cricketer, Lee's batting prowess was grossly underrated. Blessed with the ability to wield the long handle, his game also had a fairly strong technique to work with which meant that he could often produce priceless runs down the order even in adverse situations. The most memorable one that comes to mind is the Edgbaston Ashes Test of 2005 where he nearly took Australia home from a hopeless situation in what eventually was a pulsating thriller of a game. Lee was also a fantastic fielder with a rocket arm and athletic build. Hence, he could contribute in all three departments which made him an asset to have. He might not have fulfilled his potential in Tests but Lee certainly was among the finest bowlers produced by Australia. If his body had permitted, he could perhaps have achieved a lot more in his career.

By Hariprasad Sadanandan