FORMER Test spearhead Len Pascoe says Brett Lee has not improved in five years and will "destroy himself" unless national captain Ricky Ponting orders him to bowl slower.
And Pascoe urged Cricket Australia to appoint Pakistan great Waqar Younis as Lee's mentor if they want the NSW tearaway to emulate Dennis Lillee and take 350 Test wickets.
Concerns for Lee's Test future have raged for two years, with former skipper Steve Waugh offering to help make him a better bowler.
But Pascoe took aim at Waugh and the present regime, saying Lee has stagnated because of pressure to put searing speed ahead of a more tactical approach.
"As far as results go, Brett Lee has not improved for the past five years," said Pascoe, who took 64 wickets in 14 Tests between 1977-1982.
"Brett has the makings of one of our great fast bowlers and I have a lot of time for him, but he needs to be given a clear direction.
"For too long, Brett has received mixed messages. He has had people in his head saying, 'we want you to be as fast as you can be, we don't care how many runs you concede'.
"This came out of the Steve Waugh era.
"Brett needs John Buchanan (coach), Ricky Ponting and the selectors to tell him to forget about the speed gun and focus on getting his outswinger going again.
"The way he is bowling now, Brett is in danger of not improving and destroying himself physically.
"It's time for him to become a student of the game and bowl smart."
Lee, who turns 29 on Tuesday, is entering a critical phase of his career.
The present Test against the West Indies is Lee's 44th, but he has not taken a five-wicket haul in four years.
His best figures, 5-47, were on debut against India in 1999. His past 30 Tests have yielded 104 wickets at the dismal average of 39.02.
"Brett has to take ownership of his game," former Test bowler Damien Fleming said. "I played alongside Brett in his first Test and, after that match, I thought he would become the greatest fast bowler Australia had produced.
"But his numbers are pretty average and it's up to Brett to narrow the gap between his good games and his bad ones.
"I truly believe Brett can succeed Glenn McGrath as our next spearhead.
"No-one can question his effort to get back to the top, but he needs to work on his ability to pressure batsman."
According to Pascoe, that's where Waqar - who took 373 wickets for Pakistan - comes in.
"Waqar would be a tremendous help for Brett Lee," Pascoe said.
"Brett has said he wouldn't mind a specialist coach and they don't come any better than the best swing bowler of the past 50 years.
"Everyone wants Brett to bowl quick but it's time he became his own man.
"He's an outswing bowler and he should be bowling at 140-145km/h. Forget about getting to 160km/h - that has a short shelf life.
"He's not finished yet. If he gets the right help and gets a game plan, he has the ability to finish his career with an average of 23 or 24 and should take in excess of 350 wickets."
- PETER BADEL