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Brett Lee

Brett lee
Brett lee Image: Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.5

Brett Lee (born 8 November 1976) is an Australian former international cricketer who represented Australia across all three formats of the game. A right-arm fast bowler, Lee was widely regarded during his playing days as one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket. He was also a useful lower-order batter and an athletic fielder.

Key facts

Full name Brett Lee
Born 8 November 1976
Nationality Australian
Role Right-arm fast bowler; lower-order batter
Domestic team New South Wales
Test debut 1999
International retirement 12 July 2012
Retirement from all cricket January 2015 (effective end of 2014–15 Big Bash League)
Test wickets 310
ODI wickets 380

Background

Lee played his first-class cricket for New South Wales and rose through the ranks of Australian domestic cricket before earning international selection. He made his Test debut in 1999, beginning a career that would span more than a decade at the highest level.

International career

As a member of the Australian side, Lee won multiple International Cricket Council (ICC) titles, including the 2003 Cricket World Cup, the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy.

In his first two years of international cricket, Lee conceded fewer than 20 runs for every wicket taken, although his bowling average later rose into the low 30s. He retained his place as a leading strike bowler for Australia for much of the 2000s, and from 2000 to 2009 only Muttiah Muralitharan took more One Day International wickets than Lee.

Lee finished his Test career with 310 wickets and his ODI career with 380 wickets. As a batter, he maintained a Test batting average in excess of 20.

Hat-tricks

  • First Australian bowler to take a hat-trick at a Cricket World Cup, achieved during the Super Match against Kenya at the 2003 Cricket World Cup.
  • First bowler to take a hat-trick in Twenty20 International cricket, taken against Bangladesh at the inaugural 2007 ICC World Twenty20, which also made him the first bowler to record a hat-trick at an ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Later career and retirement

Lee retired from international cricket on 12 July 2012. He subsequently declined to renew his contract with New South Wales but continued to play Twenty20 cricket for several seasons, notably in the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash League. In January 2015, he announced his retirement from all forms of the game, effective at the end of the 2014–15 Big Bash League season.

Post-cricket activities

Following his retirement, Lee has worked as a film actor and as a cricket commentator with Fox Sports.

Significance

Lee is considered one of the best fast bowlers of his generation. His blend of express pace, longevity across formats and contribution to Australia's three ICC trophy victories in the 2000s established him as a central figure in one of the most successful eras of Australian cricket. His pioneering hat-tricks in both World Cup and World Twenty20 competitions remain landmark achievements in limited-overs cricket.

References