Brett Lee's Test Career

[Burgey]

Over rated.

Before he injured his elbow against the WI in the 2000-01 series, I thought Lee was going to be an ATG fast bowler for Australia. He had started ridiculously well, at extreme pace and he moved the ball through the air. In other words, he looked likely to often as not be unplayable. He came back from that injury but the likes of Bichel were then in the test side and he couldn't break back in for a while. When he did, as others have noted, he tended to bowl two lengths - either too short to rough a batsman up, or too full looking for a killer Yorker.

I think he was a good bowler, but I also think he's probably the worst (if that term can really apply) bowler to take 300 test wickets. He had a couple of years late in his career where he actually bowled in the manner I thought he would when he started, and for that period he was world class. in that regard he was a bit like Zaheer, but not as big a joke. They were both trash imo for a lot of their career, but had a few good years towards the end. And both strike me as dickheads frankly. Lee for the way he went about bowling at tail enders, Zaheer for that ridiculous faux macho crap he used to go on with when he didn't even have a chest, especially in the 03 WC final. What a joke he was for 90% plus of his career.

 

[Dan]

Biased by his politics IMO

 

[Red]

By the late 1990s there were calls for Lee to be included in the national squad. Captain Steve Waugh, who also played with him for New South Wales, was impressed by Lee's debut and pushed for his inclusion into the national team. He was eventually chosen in the final 14 for the Test series against Pakistan in 1999 but failed to make the starting 11. By the time the Test series against India came around, he was twelfth man. However, he duly made his Test debut for Australia in December 1999 against the touring Indians, becoming Australia's 383rd Test cricketer.

Bowling first change, Lee took a wicket in his first over in Test cricket when he bowled Sadagoppan Ramesh with his fourth delivery. He also captured Rahul Dravid in his first spell before returning to take three wickets in six balls to finish the innings with figures of 5/47 from 17 overs, becoming the first Australian fast bowler since Dennis Lillee to take 5 wickets on debut. Lee took thirteen wickets in his opening two Tests at the low average of 14.15.

Lee won the inaugural Donald Bradman Young Player of the Year Award at the Allan Border Medal award ceremony in 2000 soon after his debut.

Lee took 42 wickets in his opening three series, the most by any Australian bowler in the seven matches he played.He was selected for the Test series against the West Indies in late 2000. During the first Test he scored his first half-century in test cricket and in the next Test, took seven wickets including a five wicket haul in the second innings.However, he suffered a stress fracture of the lower back which kept him out of the next three Tests. He returned against Zimbabwe but soon suffered another setback a month later when he broke his right elbow and was sidelined until May 2001.

Did you write Lee's wiki article? Or are you just passing it off as your own work?