Brett Lee is known as one of the top Australian cricketers of the past two decades. He was a stellar fast bowler for the Aussies as he created a solid reputation with his speed and reliability. Now, he’s regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers in the modern era.
Lee started playing cricket when he was young and he immediately took to playing the fast bowler role. He stood out as one of the best youth cricketers in the mid-1990s which made it natural for him to move to the professional circuit.
In his domestic cricket career, he played as a crucial fast bowler for New South Wales for more than a decade. Despite his success in the domestic side of cricket, Lee was mostly known for his performances for the Australian national team. Now that Brett Lee and Sportsbet.io have partnered up, it is warranted to look back at his career and recognise his excellence as a cricketer.
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Lee was a key cog in Australia’s 2000 success
In his career, Lee was known as a fixture in the Australian national team across all formats. When the Aussies’ batting was trending downwards, they needed to bounce back in other parts of the game. This is where Lee came in because he was a fantastic bowler as he helped the team redeem themselves and stabilise when needed.
His fast bowling was crucial in Australia’s win in the 2003 World Cup. He was such a consistent player that opponents were scouting him because they knew that Lee was a big threat to their chances of winning.
Lee was successful because he used his foundation to the fullest. He kept working hard to prove that he was a top talent. He was ambitious but he did not let that get in the way of his relationship with his teammates. Lee was always a positive presence in the locker room because he was always a good friend as he encouraged his teammates to perform at their best level.
Lee proved he was a world-class fast bowler
Often compared to Shoaib Akhtar, Lee was one of the top two fast bowlers in the world. That was the most consistent praise that he received because he always had a good arm with his bowls. Lee regularly threw around 140 km/h which was consistent throughout his career.
While he had natural talent, Lee worked hard to reach that special level. Being compared to Akhtar is an honour in itself because the Pakistani star was arguably the best player in the world during the 2000s.
He constantly clashed with Akhtar for the distinction of the best fast bowler title and while most people will choose the Pakistani star, the fact that there is a debate is huge for Lee.
Lee was successful despite his injuries
When Lee was playing, his constant 140 km/h bowls took a toll on his body. It was unfortunate because Lee was such a good player during his prime. Due to this, he had to make adjustments to his bowling style which lengthened his career.
Lee said, ‘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’.
Coming to that kind of conclusion is what made Lee such a good player. Now that he has retired, he still wants to relay his cricket knowledge to people. This is why the partnership between Brett Lee and Sportsbet.io is a strong one because both parties want what’s best for the overall cricket scene.
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