Fast bowlers are getting slower with time: Brett Lee

He is one of the fastest pace bowlers to have ever played the game. Australian cricketer Brett Lee has had all the batsmen in trouble with his pace, swing and deadly bouncers. So much so that former New Zealand player Brendon McCullum, regarded as a batsman with the fastest hands and feet, ended up with a bleeding nose, when he tried to hook Lee for a six. We caught up with the exponent of speed, who was in Coimbatore recently to launch the TNPL.
Talking about his role in the current season, he says, “Firstly, it is great to be back in TNPL. I’ll be on the commentary panel this time around, which is a lot of fun. I’ll be doing a couple of bowling clinics, helping the young fast bowlers come through with different teams, rather than just one. I will also be interacting with the fans.” Brett Lee was a mentor of the Ruby Kanchi Warriors (now Ruby Trichy Warriors) in the last edition.
According to Brett Lee, TNPL has been providing a platform for youngsters in the state to show their talent. “T Natarajan, who played well, got picked by Punjab team in the previous edition of the IPL.
It is a great breeding ground for young cricketers and hopefully, one day they would go on to play IPL and for India.”
With the advent of T20 cricket, has the game become partial to batsmen? “I’m fine with batsmen playing with a big bat, but, I would like to see the bowlers have a bit more control as well. If a bowler steps out of the line, the batsmen gets a free hit and he can’t get out. On the other hand, if the batsman plays a plain miss, nothing goes to the bowler. I’m not a fan of limiting the bouncers to one per over. I think it’s unfair to the bowlers. There are little things the game can look into to make it more exciting.”
Does aggression come naturally to the fast bowlers or is it something they work on? “I would like to see someone who can bowl over 150kms per hour. Though 135kms per hour and 140kms per hour is considered quick these days, I still think fast is over 150kms per hour. A fast bowler should have that intimidating factor. I’ve always believed in being a different person on the field by pushing the limits. But, off the field, I go back to being a nice person. So, not all fast bowlers are angry people.”
Does he think that the quality of fast bowling has come down from the 70s — when Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson, Andy Roberts and Michael Holding — were the toast of the game? “Jeff Thomson was extremely quick back then, he hit 160kms per hour. Runners and swimmers are getting faster, whereas fast bowlers are getting slower. I would like to see a change. You have to be mentally strong to bowl fast and one needs to have the right type of weight training.”
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) has proposed to limit the sizes of cricket bats. When asked if the move implemented, would have an impact on the hard-hitting batsmen, he says, “I was always against that move, because if a batsman like Chris Gayle is good enough to hold a bat that is three-pound heavy, that’s because of his strength and ability. It’s like limiting a bowler’s front arm in his action, because he is too quick. We can’t restrict the batsmen too much.”
Brett Lee, however, chose to play it safe when quizzed about the pay dispute between Australian cricketers and Cricket Australia (the board).“I really hope they sort it out quickly. We’ve got the Ashes coming up.”
On a parting note, when asked about Kevin Pietersen (England cricketer, who is out of the team due to issues with the England cricket board) hinting at playing for South Africa (the country in which he was born) in the 2019 World Cup, he says. “I might make a comeback as well! But on a serious note, he is fit and is a quality player playing for Surrey (a county cricket club in England). If he is indeed going to make a comeback and play in the 2019 World Cup, it’s fantastic. I wish him all the best.”