Great moments from Brett Lee`s career : Injury vs India at World Cup 2011

Test debut vs India

On 26 December 1999, the Australian selectors decided to play Lee instead of an injured Michael Kasprowicz. Lee had already left an impression on his team-mates with his express pace and accuracy. Steve Waugh in particular was mighty impressed with ‘Binga’ who had started to scare his own team-mates at the nets session with his breath taking pace.

It was the sixth over of the Test match and without any hesitation Tugga threw the ball at Lee who was all set to make his presence felt at the international scenario. It took him only four balls to scalp his first Test wicket – Sadgopan Ramesh, who was clean bowled. Lee’s four other victims were Rahul Dravid, Mannava Prasad, Ajit Agarkar and Javagal Srinath. Indian batsmen had no answer to Binga’s furious pace and he took a five-wicket haul at Melbourne in his first Test match!

Lee dismissed Dravid and Srinath in the second innings as well. He couldn’t have asked for a better start.

Hat-trick against Kenya

The Australian speedster entered the history books as he became the first bowler to claim an international Twenty-20 hat-trick. Lee achieved the feat in the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa in 2007 against Bangladesh.

It was the seventeenth over of the innings and Lee was hit for a boundary off the first ball. But the Australian star bounced back as he scalped Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Mortaza and Alok Kapali in the same over.

It was Lee`s second hat-trick in South Africa, he took one against Kenya in the 2003 World Cup at Durban.

Lee’s spell: 4-0-27-3

Memorable pic with Andrew Flintoff, 2005 Ashes Test

In that famous Test against England in 2005, Chasing 282 to win Australia had been reduced to 175/8 with all the top guns back to the pavilion. It was a hopeless situation for the Kangaroos and the England pace attack was all charged up for a quick finish. But then, once again, Lee and Warne reminded the cricketing fraternity what ‘Australianism’ meant to them.

They shared a crucial partnership, which had some nervous strokes that went to the boundary. Lee was the less confident of the two batsmen and he somehow managed to score runs with a few bruises. Warne was unfortunate to be out hit wicket off Flintoff and Australia still needed 62 runs to win.

Kasprowicz was the last batsmen and he along with Lee continued to frustrate England bowlers. With time, both of them looked more confident and a match which was almost wrapped up on the fourth day became a nail-biter as Kasprowicz was given caught behind off Harmison’s short ball. Australia lost the match by 2 runs and Lee remained unbeaten on 43.

The English players enveloped each other as Lee at the non-striker end went down on his haunches. What followed was something very touching. Andrew Flintoff consoled his rival as it became of the greatest photographs of all times.

Injury vs India at World Cup 2011

It was not for the first time that Brett Lee was injured on a cricket field. It was the second quarter-final between India and Australia during World Cup 2011.

While fielding a ball on the boundary, Lee lost his balance and suffered a cut above his right eye, which was extremely painful to watch. On a normal day, in a normal match, he would have easily walked off the field. But the Indians were dictating terms and the Kangaroos needed Lee to make a match of it.

Lee, the fighter, knew the importance of the match and he continued to play till Yuvraj Singh hit the winning runs off his own bowling. Australia lost that match but Brett Lee did what he is best at – fight till the last ball.

by Suyash Srivastava