‘One can bowl fast as well as accurate,’ says Brett Lee

Mumbai: On a Thursday evening, when hundreds of Mumbaikars – after a tiring day at work – were rushing to catch their daily local train home, Brett Lee just finished a game of cricket with kids here at Bombay Gymkhana. He didn’t look out of steam but a youngster did hit him out of the ground.

“That’s why I retired, you see,” said Lee, who unveiled the Indian leg of ‘Sounds of Cricket’ – a global initiative to raise awareness about social, emotional impact of hearing loss on individuals.

Despite being a speedster, Lee rarely looked angry or on the verge of hurling expletives. The gentleman side of him is still intact and it was evident when he interacted with the kids one-on-one to teach them the art of the red cherry.

“I was good when I was their age, but today, they batted well. I feel good coming to these venues, see these children smile while playing cricket. I’d a terrific afternoon,” said Lee, who bagged 310 Test wickets in his 13-year international career.

Former Australia cricketers, including two-time World Cup winner Ricky Ponting, had sneered at the idea of day-night Test matches – soon to be played between Australia and New Zealand at Adelaide Oval in November. But Lee is open to experiments.

“If that brings more players to the ground, more spectators on the seats, it is good for the sport. I am not sure how the pink ball would go. Let’s be open about it, embrace it and see if it works out. If it doesn’t, if people can’t see the ball, they can have an alternative plan,” added Lee, who also starred for IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (2011-2013).

Cricket pundits have been harping on the debate between pace and accuracy among Indian bowlers. Even Mahendra Singh Dhoni – the limited-overs captain – remarked about pace batteries leaking runs and the reason why he selected bowlers who could maintain line and length during the ODI series against South Africa.

On the other hand, Lee – who could clock close to 100 miles per hour – said: “I think there is no reason why fast bowlers cannot hit a 140 kmph and also bowl accurate, it comes out of hard work and training. That’s why you see not many great fast bowlers play for a long time because of the hard work they put in during their career.”

Lee called for good quality wickets for fast bowlers to excel in India. “I would love to see Indian players to bowl quick. For that, the wicket needs to be good,” he asserted.

(Photos: DC)