Brett Lee FASTEST OVER OF HIS LIFE 2005
Brett Lee (born 8 November 1976) is a former Australian international cricketer, Channel Nine cricket commentator and film actor. During his international career, Lee was recognised as one of the two fastest bowlers in the world of cricket along with Shoaib Akhtar. He is known for his consistency of pace, going over 155 kilometres per hour (96 mph) throughout his career. His quickest delivery was 161.8 km/h (100.5 mph) in a test match against the West Indies in 2002, but because they were playing in a charity match, it was not officially recognised as the fastest delivery ever. After that the world record for the fastest delivery ever is held by Shoaib Akhtar at 161.3 km/h (100.2 mph). Lee's quickest delivery in ODIs is 161.1 km/h (100.1 mph) playing against New Zealand in 2005. He is also widely regarded as one of the best pace bowlers ever to have played the sport. Lee was known for reaching a hundred miles an hour many times throughout his cricketing career. In each of his first two years, he averaged less than 20 with the ball, but since then has mostly achieved figures in the early 30s.[1] He was also known as an athletic fielder and useful lower-order batsman, with a batting average exceeding 20 in Test cricket. Lee finished his Test with 310 wickets, and his One Day International career with 380 wickets.
Lee featured in the Australian teams that won the 2003 and 2007 World Cups. He announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket in 12 July 2012, having played his first Test in 1999. He subsequently declined to renew his contract with his home state side New South Wales, but continued to play Twenty20 matches for several seasons after, most notably in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Big Bash League.[2][3] In January 2015, Lee announced his retirement from all forms of the game, effective at the end of the 2014–15 Big Bash League season.
Style[edit]
Lee was known for his pace and regularly clocked 90 mph (140 km/h) and above. He ranks only behind Pakistani bowler Shoaib Akhtar (161.3 km/h, 100.2 mph) as the fastest bowler in contemporary cricket during most of the 2000s.[5] The strain of consistently bowling at 150 km/h (93 mph) caused a string of stress fractures and recurring injuries and forced him to alter his strategy, which he has done effectively.[6] Rather than relying on pace alone, he uses a wide array of deliveries aimed at wearing down the batsman, although he has been known to bowl entire overs above the 150 km/h (93 mph) mark. His fastest ball was clocked at 161.1 km/h (100.1 mph) against New Zealand in 2005. In a match against West Indies in 2000/01 he bowled a delivery which was clocked at 161.8 km/h (100.5 mph), but it was not an official match and therefore not recognised by the ICC.
Early in his career, Lee was reported for a suspected illegal bowling action, but was cleared,[7] and was also heavily criticised after bowling a series of beamers at batsmen during a number of ODIs in 2005. Captain Ricky Ponting defended Lee saying that it was not intentional.[8][9] His slower balls also has dramatic falls of pace with varying length, often from a cutter grip, where it can go as slow as 100 km/h (62 mph), but it hovers on average around the 115–130 km/h (71–81 mph) range. He is also known to celebrate many bowled wickets with a chainsaw celebration.[10]
Batting[edit]
Lee was a competent lower-order batsman. Together with Mike Hussey, he has held the record for highest 7th wicket partnership for Australia in ODIs since 2005–06 with 123.[11]
During the 2005 Ashes series, Lee had numerous defiant innings, including a stand of 43 not out in the Second Test at Edgbaston, Australia's highest individual score in that innings. This innings nearly won the match for Australia but the other batsman Michael Kasprowicz was caught behind by Geraint Jones and England won by just two runs. After the memorable match, England bowlers Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff went over to console Lee. The image of Flintoff consoling Lee was a moment which came to symbolise a hotly contested series.[12]
On 2 April 2006, Lee hit his highest Test score of 64 in 68 balls against South Africa at Johannesburg. His previous highest score in Tests was 62 not out which he made against the West Indies in 2000 at the Gabba. Lee nearly surpassed this score on 3 January 2008 against India when he made 59 off 121 balls. Lee had also once again nearly surpassed his highest test score when he had made 63 not out, but unfortunately Ricky Ponting had declared the innings in the 2nd test against the West Indies. As a result of this, he fell one run short of his highest test score.
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