Cricket Profile

If Brett Lee were a Ferrari ... No. There is no if. He is already the fastest in the world, equal with Shoaib Akhtar at a flicker above or below 100mph, and always seems on the verge of striking a body or a wicket. At the 2003 World Cup, during which he took a ferocious hat-trick against Kenya, Lee was a polished star, while Shoaib was a novelty act. It was the same in the 2004-05 VB Series - Lee's pace was blinding; Shoaib's was hamstrung. When Lee releases the throttle and begins that smooth acceleration, the spectator stays his drinking hand. The leaping, classical delivery may produce a devastating yorker, a devilish slower ball or a young-Donald outswinger. Add a dash of peroxide, a fruity vocabulary, a trademark jump for joy, a stylish bat, a streak of sadism when bowling at tailenders, a pop group (Six And Out), and an endearing dedication to a job at a gentleman's outfitters, and you have the 21st century's first designer cricketer - not to mention a priceless pin-up boy.

While Steve Waugh unleashed him in a dramatic opening of 42 wickets in seven Tests before an elbow operation, Ricky Ponting gave Lee a blueprint for lasting success that doesn't rely solely on bouncers or yorkers. "The way that Ricky has captained my personal bowling over the last couple of years has just been brilliant," he said early in 2006. "Going back two or three years, I wasn't really sure what they wanted me to do." Lee's next statistical goals are 250 wickets and an average below 30, while status as an allrounder beckons after lifting his output to 31 an innings since his return from the wilderness in 2005.

Lee's career hasn't always been easy. He struggled against accusations of throwing, bean balls, stress fractures and other injuries, and had a strangely barren first Ashes series in 2001. Three years later he U-turned from ankle surgery, but was stuck in the pits of the dressing room as he ran drinks and sponges in nine consecutive Tests. He returned to the fold for the 2005 Ashes series and earned plaudits for his never-say-die attitude and brave performances with both bat and ball. He nearly pulled off a win for Australia with a battling 43 at Edgbaston, but his partner-in-crime Michael Kasprowicz fell at the contentious final hurdle. Andrew Flintoff's consoling of Lee seconds after the catch was 2005's defining image.

Lee's 2006 brightened further when he partnered Kasprowicz in a nail-biting win over South Africa that eased the pain of the previous near-miss. It was an important summer as he assumed the role of attack leader when Glenn McGrath first struggled for impact and then pulled out of tours to South Africa and Bangladesh to care for his sick wife. Lee moved into the position he had craved since crashing on to the Test scene with 5 for 47 against India, and he celebrated 89 international wickets for the season with lawnmower, hunting and leaping celebrations.

(CricInfo, May 2006)

Given that he has carried a tag as being one of his country's fastest ever bowlers virtually right from the time of his first-class debut in 1995, it is probably no great surprise that Brett Lee has duly become one of the world's most exciting pace bowlers. The younger brother of one-day international all-rounder Shane, he is indeed a thrilling player to watch. He approaches the bowling crease at a bristling gallop from a long run-up, thrusts his front arm high, and then releases the ball at thundering speed from a nicely balanced side-on position. The pace that he generates is disarming and it is not uncommon for the speed of his deliveries to be clocked at a rate well in excess of 140 kilometres per hour. In April 2000, he unleashed one measured at 156 kph in a one-day international in Johannesburg. Two years later, and also in South Africa, two of his deliveries were clocked at better than 157 kph in a Test. It is this attribute above all else which is the crucial factor in allowing him to defeat batsmen with a mix of short and full deliveries and to force them into errant strokeplay off both the back and front foot.

Like so many good fast bowlers before him, Lee has already been forced to endure adversity along the pathway to success. He sustained stress fractures to his back and was kept out of the game for several months before kickstarting his career again in late 1998. He also had elbow surgery in February 2001, which limited his effectiveness during Australia's subsequent tour of England.

His talent has seen him overcome most obstacles, though, as reflected in his rapid and startlingly successful accession to international company, including five wickets in a sizzling debut Test innings (against India in Melbourne in 1999-2000). The blond-headed Lee is only young and is naturally still learning. His most recent challenge is one which ultimately faces all true express bowlers: to maintain his wicket-taking ability in Tests, while also keeping a good economy rate in limited-overs matches. But the fact that he has created such a mark in international cricket says much in itself. His future looks gilt-edged.

(John Polack, CricInfo, May 2000; updated October 2002)