On a Thursday evening, when hundreds of Mumbaikars were rushing to catch the daily train home, Brett Lee finished a game of cricket with kids here at Bombay Gymkhana.
On a Thursday evening, when hundreds of Mumbaikars were rushing to catch the daily train home, Brett Lee finished a game of cricket with kids here at Bombay Gymkhana. He didn’t look out of steam but a youngster did hit him out of the ground.
“That’s why I retired, you see,” said Lee, who unveiled the Indian leg of ‘Sounds of Cricket’ — a global initiative to raise awareness about social, emotional impact of hearing loss on individuals. Despite being a speedster, Lee rarely looked angry or on the verge of hurling expletives. The gentleman in him is still intact and it was evident when he interacted with the kids one-on-one to teach them the art of the red cherry.
“I was good when I was their age, but today, they batted well. I feel good coming to these venues, see these children smile while playing cricket. I had a terrific afternoon,” said Lee, who bagged 310 Test wickets in his 13-year international career.
Former Australia cricketers, including two-time World Cup winner Ricky Ponting, had sneered at the idea of day-night Test matches — soon to be played between Australia and New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval in November. But Lee is open to experiments. “If that brings more players to the ground, more spectators on the seats, it is good for the sport. I am not sure how the pink ball will go though.
“Let’s be open about it, embrace it and see if it works out. If it doesn’t, if people can’t see the ball, they can have an alternative plan,” added Lee, who also starred for IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (2011-2013).
Cricket pundits have been harping on the debate between speed and accuracy among Indian bowlers. Even Mahendra Singh Dhoni spoke on his pace battery leaking runs and why he selected bowlers who could maintain line and length during the ODI series against South Africa.
On the other hand, Lee — who could clock close to 100 miles per hour — said: “I think there is no reason why fast bowlers cannot hit 140 kmph and also bowl accurately, it comes out of hard work and training. That’s why you see not many great fast bowlers play for a long time.”
