Brett Lee may be looking to make a celebrated comeback. But there are many who believe Lee’s presence may only spoil the party.
Not only ago, it was reported that former Australian cricketers and commentators expressed reservation about Brett Lee’s recuperation post surgery and also, if he was in mental shape to lead Australia in the Ashes against England.
Now there is more by way of concern as Lee struggles to find a place behind Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus and is looked in the battle for a fourth fast bowler in the team with Stuart Clark.
While Jason Gillespie, who himself was dropped after the Ashes 2005, believes that Lee will continue to struggle until he learns to master the English conditions. One of the contentions against Lee is that he is unwilling to give up the aspect of speed in his bowling. Even as age thirty-two, Lee believes he can run in and bowl faster than he has simply because he has missed a lot of cricket through injuries and therefore, fresher for the challenge.
However, former fast bowlers feel unless Lee learns to add more to his game than pure pace, he is likely to lose out to younger, more energetic Australian bowlers who are willing to experiment.
Not many of the current bunch of cricket fans will know who Alan Davidson is. But the man who gave England a tough time in the 1953 and 1961 Ashes, has a completely different and new take on Lee’s career.
Davidson believes that Lee should hang up his boots and not even be in the fray for the fourth bowler’s spot. Instead he believes Lee should take up a mentorship role in the Australian squad and help out the young fast bowlers in helping Australia win the Ashes because in this opinion, the team that took on South Africa recently is the best combination for the team in the present times.
Given Lee’s not so impressive record in England and the fact that he will be commanding a position on the basis of his reputation than any real form, Lee is perhaps facing pressure unlike he has ever faced before.
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