On Lee
July 25, 2005Every one has an opinion on him. The opinions are in the extreme. Some wrote him off ages ago - rubished him for eternity. Some believe he has class to mark a decent test career. The Australian selectors and I are of the second category of people. Lee managed to make a come back thanks to the larger perspective of the Aussie selectors. Roebuck presents a superb assessment of Lee:
Not so long ago Lee was in such bad form that he could hardly release the ball. No one present during the Sydney Test match against India 18 months ago was confident of ever seeing him bowl for his country again. He was reduced to releasing the ball from a yard behind the popping crease and left nursing embarrassing figures. A bowler’s pain is public. Dismissed batsmen retreat to the rooms. It might have broken a lesser man.
Early in his career, Lee sampled the joys of the game as he cut a swathe through opponents like a latter-day Errol Flynn. Then came injuries and setbacks and losses of form that created confusion in an essentially relaxed brain. Sydney was the low point. It had looked like the end. In fact, it was just a beginning.
Lee could take consolation from the fact that he was still dangerous with the white ball. Indeed, he was the best bowler at the most recent World Cup. Armed with a white missile, he could bowl with pace and swing, a potent combination. His success in one-day cricket brought him the time that he needed to sort out the rest of his game.
Taken to India but not chosen for a single Test match, Lee dedicated himself to taking his fitness to an even higher level. That he lost weight on the tour was due not to Delhi belly but to his new physical discipline.
In Shane Watson he found a splendid partner in this endeavour. Every evening the pair flogged their bodies mercilessly in search of the strength and speed needed to give them an edge. Ever since, Lee has been superb in both forms of the game.
Naturally, it took time to convince the selectors that he was indeed a new man. Last autumn he toured New Zealand and again could not force his way into the team. He arrived in England as fourth seamer but bowled with such gusto that his candidacy had to be taken seriously, especially by a team lacking a cutting edge. Lee did not play at Lord’s because a colleague had lost form. He demanded a place with stirring performances.
Link courtesy: Mike on cricket
