Australian paceman Brett Lee will call it stumps on a delightful career at the end of the Australian Twenty20 Big Bash season, where he has been plying his trade for the Sydney Sixers for three years now.
Affectionately known as “Binger”, Brett Lee played a pivotal role in an awe-inspiring Australian attack during his test career: and though that ended in 2008 after 76 tests, his Twenty-20 career persisted all the way through until the tender age of 38 years-old, where, in 2015, he called it quits on an illustrious and decorated career. Named in the World One-Day XI on three separate occasions, and named in Australia’s best ever One Day XI (an award given in 2006, obviously not forthcoming of the future years) Brett Lee’s chainsaw became a figure of wild excitement among Australian cricket fans: one that symbolised his 150km+ seamers blazing through to the keeper: usually off of an edge; or In some cases not even making it that far: too busy dropping at the foot of a bewildered batsman or rolling off of the pitch alongside a now fallen stump.
Brett symbolised the blistering attack that dominated the minds of cricket fans across the world: the likes of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Shane Warne combining with “Binger” to establish an attack that was not only feared, but rounded up one of the more proficient elevens that cricket has seen in the last two decades: one which saw the likes of Ricky Ponting, Mark Waugh and Matthew Hayden combine with the aforementioned bowling greats to climb to the top of the ICC rankings. People often forget how: during the tail end of that side’s reign, and into Australia’s more transitional period in the latter 2000’s, Brett Lee was in the peak of his career: collecting a player of the series award in consecutive seasons (2002/3 and 2003/4), the Wisden Cricketer of the year (2006), two consecutive “player of the series” awards against India (in test and One Day format) and finally the Australian test Player of the Year and Allan Border Medal (Australia’s best cricketer) in 2008.
To possess such consistency and prowess: whilst bowling over 150 km/h to some of the best batsmen in the world demands respect: though Lee’s personality also remarks something of a fun-loving, respectful player: telling of how his favourite moments were not the wickets taken and the glory received, but rather the two heartfelt points in his cricket career.
“One was getting that Baggy Green cap for Australia back in 1999. I was a lot younger, a lot skinnier back then, it was the most amazing moment,” Lee said.
“Secondly, to me it’s not about five wicket hauls or winning World Cups, when I had the first opportunity to walk out in a one day match, playing with my older brother Shane, to walk out behind him and see Shane Lee, No. 20 on the back — and to think we’d dreamt, as a lot of young children do, growing up playing back yard cricket, to hopefully one day playing for Australia. To think that I’ve represented Australia with my older brother — that’s pretty cool.”
Discussed amongst names such as Dennis Lillee, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, all of whom, alongside Lee, are members of the Australian contingent of the “300 wicket club”, his contribution to his country cannot be understated. Though he developed somewhat of a reputation of cleaning up tails, he took some pivotal wickets in his time and was part of a fearsome opening bowling partnership alongside Glenn McGrath for a substantial period of time.
In essence, then, though Lee’s retirement was postponed a few years by his stay in the shorter form of the game, his legacy lasts every time we see the chainsaw roar again, having cleaned up the bails or bounced a batsman into submission. Brett Lee’s was somebody we, as Aussies celebrated through, and is certainly somebody who will be celebrated at his career’s final end.
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