BRETT LEE has demanded the mantle of spearheading the attack in Melbourne today as Australia head into the third Test against India facing their toughest challenge at home in a decade.
Australia's fastest bowler has told his captain Steve Waugh he wants to be the catalyst to victory, which would level the series at one-all going into the final Test in Sydney.
"He wants that responsibility," said Waugh, the first captain to trail in a home series since Allan Border's team was 0-1 against South Africa in 1993-94 before drawing the series one-all.
"He has talked about stepping up to the plate. He has done that in the one-dayers and I think the time is right for Brett to take the challenge and assume the mantle of the strike bowler.
"He doesn't get a better opportunity than to play in the Boxing Day Test."
With Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie injured, Lee has never faced a more important role in his hot and cold Test career.
However, India's captain Sourav Ganguly has questioned whether Lee can hunt without the relentless McGrath as his partner.
"He's got a bit of pace but I have always felt bowling is (best) in pairs," Ganguly said.
"With McGrath at the other end it is a different ball-game with that sort of bowler coming from the other side.
"Suddenly he (Lee) has become the spearhead of their attack. There will be pressure on him."
That pressure has been compounded by the fact that Lee is coming back from ankle surgery. Despite two Pura Cup matches for NSW over the past fortnight, it will take something special for him to bowl at his best in his first Test for two months.
While Australia's attack has been weakened by the loss of Gillespie with a groin strain, India are likely to be strengthened by the return of their leading fast bowler Zaheer Khan from a hamstring strain.
Waugh believes injury problems, particularly an elbow operation in February 2001, may have robbed Lee of some pace and feels the speedster is not having the impact he once did because opposing batsmen are now used to his bowling.
"It was major surgery," Waugh said. "He came back probably a little bit early, but you always want to get back quickly. To have a major injury like that with Shane (Warne) and his shoulder and Brett with his elbow, it takes at least 12 months to get back to where you were. Now he is almost back to where he was before.
"I think also with out-and-out quick bowlers, they are at their peak when they are pretty young. You have to pick them early because that's when they are at their quickest.
"I still think he is genuine pace now. When he first came out on to the scene, no-one had seen him before and he had a big advantage."
Waugh is hopeful that a more helpful MCG wicket will offer the edge to his largely second-string pace attack, which has failed to make a significant impression during the first two Tests.
"We only know from the last couple of years here, it's been quite a bit of springy sort of bounce. If the quick bowlers get it in the right areas and hit the wicket hard you will create opportunities," Waugh said.
Just how Australia intend to best exploit the pitch will remain a mystery until this morning, with the team hierarchy still pondering a decision on 12th man last night.
They have the radical options of dropping leg-spinner Stuart MacGill and including left-armer Nathan Bracken as a fourth fast bowler or dropping batsman Simon Katich and playing five bowlers in a Test Australia must win to have any chance of reclaiming the Border-Gavaskar Trophy relinquished in the epic 2001 series in India.
Waugh does not appear to favour either of those options.
"I am not too concerned about the trophy," he said. "You want to win the series of course but with two Tests to go, we are just concentrating on this Test.
"If we happen to win that and draw the last Test, well, it's not the ideal result but it's not too bad a result. The trophy is not on anyone's minds. Five bowlers sounds good on paper but it's a lot harder out in the middle to give everyone a decent go. I think bowlers like to have a decent bowl."
While Katich is progressing well with his left-arm wrist spinners, Waugh played down the likelihood of his NSW team-mate being the sole slow bowler.
Despite India leading the series, Waugh claimed the pressure was on the tourists to press on with their unexpected and virtually unknown away advantage.
"Their record wasn't good away from home. Now they have an opportunity to win a series and people in India will expect them to win from here," Waugh said.
"So, I'd like to think it is the other way round, there is more pressure on them. We can relax and go out there and play our brand of cricket. I know if we take our catches we'll win the match."
Ganguly was baffled by Waugh's logic.
"I don't think he's fair and right by saying that the pressure is on us," Ganguly said. "We all know there is pressure on both teams to win."
Waugh himself is playing in his last Boxing Day Test as his farewell summer continues into its final fortnight. He has a superb record on the ground, playing 16 times for 1265 runs at an average of 55.
Waugh played his first Test at the ground against India in 1985, scoring 13 and 5. It took him 10 years to register a century in a Boxing Day Test, belting 131 not out against Sri Lanka in 1995-96. In the next five years, he scored two more unbeaten tons - 122 against England in 1998-99 and 121 against the West Indies in 2000-01.
- Malcolm Conn