Brett Lee
Brett Lee (born 8 November 1976) is a former Australian international cricketer, Channel Nine cricket commentator and film actor. During his international career, Lee was recognised as one of the two fastest bowlers in the world of cricket along with Shoaib Akhtar. He is known for his consistency of pace, going over 155 kilometres per hour (96 mph) throughout his career. His quickest delivery was 161.8 km/h (100.5 mph) in a test match against the West Indies in 2002, but because they were playing in a charity match, it was not officially recognised as the fastest delivery ever. After that the world record for the fastest delivery ever is held by Shoaib Akhtar at 161.3 km/h (100.2 mph). Lee’s quickest delivery in ODIs is 161.1 km/h (100.1 mph) playing against New Zealand in 2005. He is also widely regarded as one of the best pace bowlers ever to have played the sport. Lee was known for reaching a hundred miles an hour many times throughout his cricketing career. In each of his first two years, he averaged less than 20 with the ball, but since then has mostly achieved figures in the early 30s. He was also known as an athletic fielder and useful lower-order batsman, with a batting average exceeding 20 in Test cricket. Lee finished his Test with 310 wickets, and his One Day International career with 380 wickets. Lee featured in the Australian teams that won the 2003 and 2007 World Cups. He announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket in 12 July 2012, having played his first Test in 1999. He subsequently declined to renew his contract with his home state side New South Wales, but continued to play Twenty20 matches for several seasons after, most notably in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Big Bash League.[2] In January 2015, Lee announced his retirement from all forms of the game, effective at the end of the 201415 Big Bash League season.[
Coaching career:
On 5 February, Ireland appointed Lee as a bowling coach during 2015 Cricket World Cup.
Awards:
2000 Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year 19992000 Wisden Young Cricketer of the Year 200203 VB Series Player of the Series 200405 VB Series Player of the Series 2005 ICC Awards ODI Team of the Year 2006 Wisden Cricketer of the Year 200607 DLF Cup Player of the Tournament 2006 ICC Awards ODI Team of the Year Australia’s Greatest ODI XI 2007 Warne-Muralitharan Trophy Player of the Series 200708 Border-Gavaskar Trophy Player of the Series 2008 McGilvray Medal 2008 Australian Test Player of the Year 2008 Allan Border Medal 2008 ICC Awards ODI Team of the Year 2008 ICC Awards Test Team of the Year 2009 Champions League Twenty20 Player of the Series
Career highlights:
Lee’s best Test bowling figures of five for 30 came against the West Indies at The Gabba, Brisbane in 2005 Lee’s 100th wicket was Marcus Trescothick in his 27th Test against England at Sydney in 2003 Lee took his 200th wicket, Mark Boucher, in his 51st Test against South Africa at Durban in 2006 His best batting score of 64 was made against South Africa, Johannesburg, 2006 He made his 1,000th Test run in his 53rd Test against Bangladesh at Fatullah in 2006 Lee’s 250th wicket was Anil Kumble in his 62nd Test against India at Melbourne in 2007 Lee’s 300th wicket was Jamie How in his 73rd Test against New Zealand at Brisbane on 22 November 2008
One-day Internationals:
ODI Debut: vs Pakistan, Gabba, Brisbane, 19992000 His best ODI bowling figures of five for 22 came against South Africa, Melbourne His best ODI batting score of 59 was made against West Indies in 2012. His 100th ODI wicket was Andrew Caddick, against England at the M.C.G. in 2003 His 200th wicket was Marcus Trescothick, against England at Lord’s in 2005 His 300th wicket was Darren Sammy, against West Indies at St George’s in 2008 His 350th wicket was Nuwan Kulasekara, against Sri Lanka at Kandy in 2011, becoming just the second bowler in Australian history to get 350 wickets. Lee is the first (and currently the only) bowler to take 5 wickets twice in One Day Internationals played at Lord’s.
Records:
Lee was the first player in Twenty20 International cricket to take a hat-trick. Lee is the second fastest Australian ODI player to take 100 wickets (after Mitchell Starc). He reached the milestone in his 55th match. He is fourth on the world list behind Mitchell Starc(52 matches)Saqlain Mushtaq (53 matches) and Shane Bond (54 matches) Lee is the fastest bowler to take 300 ODI wickets. He achieved this in 171 ODI matches. Lee is the second highest wicket taker for Australia in ODIs, with 380 wickets. Lee and Bob Willis are the only cricketers to take more than 300 wickets in a Test career without having any ten wicket hauls. As of June 2013, he and Zaheer Khan are the only Test cricketers with 300 or more wickets but only 10 (the least among the 300 wicket club) 5-wicket hauls in test innings. 2nd fastest bowler in the world. Bowled a ball of speed 161.1 km/h (100.1 mph) against New Zealand As of October 2016, Brett Lee holds the record for the most Weet-Bix consumed over the tea break at Lords, with 8
Career best Bowling performances:
Bowling Score
Test: 5/30
ODI : 5/22
T20I : 3/23
FC : 7/114
LA : 5/22
T20 :4/28
Personal life:
Lee is the second of three sons born to Bob, a metallurgist, and Helen (née Buxton), a piano teacher, and grew up in the Wollongong suburbs of Oak Flats and Mount Warrigal. His older brother Shane is a retired all rounder and former international and younger brother Grant previously played cricket for New South Wales U-19, and is now an accountant.Lee attended Balarang Public School and Oak Flats High School, which later named its cricket ground in his honour. The brothers first played cricket together in front of their house using a tennis ball and the garage door as the “wicket-keeper”. As a child he idolised Allan Donald and Dennis Lillee, the latter of whom would become a mentor to him as a teenager.Lee has been known by his nickname ‘Binga’, after the chain of electronics store Bing Lee, since his high-school days.He was once briefly nicknamed “Oswald” by former Australian captain and New South Wales teammate Steve Waugh during his early international career. During an ODI around 2000, he was in the batting order behind his brother Shane and Ian Harvey. When Waugh read out the batting order, instead of reading “Lee, Harvey, Lee”, he read out “Lee, Harvey, Oswald” (Lee Harvey Oswald).
Lee married Elizabeth Kemp in June 2006. They have a son named Preston Charles, born 16 November 2006. However, after two years of marriage, on 21 August 2008, Lee confirmed his separation from Kemp.They divorced in 2009. At the time of the split, media speculation cited Kemp was having an affair with a rugby player in Brisbane; however, this was later disputed, with extended periods of loneliness due to Lee’s off-season commitments keeping him away from Kemp and his young son Preston given as the reason for the marriage breakdown. He married Lana Anderson in 2014 after one year of dating, they have a daughter named Helena together who was born in December 2015.
