NEWS
MATCH REPORTS
DIARY
OTHER SPORTS
SLIDE SHOW
PEOPLE
ARCHIVES

Lee and behold!

He looked out of place, probably unsure of himself, standing at the back of the huddle as the Australian team posed for its victory photograph in Perth after sweeping Pakistan 3-0. But if the hype is to be believed, Brett Lee won't be on the fringe for long.

Younger brother of World Cup squad member and occasional one-day player Shane, 23-year-old New South Wales fast bowler Brett Lee has emerged this season as a raw pace talent destined for national honours.

When the Australian selectors sat down to choose the team for the first Test against Pakistan early this month, it was considered to be a toss-up between Lee and 28-year-old fast-medium Scott Muller for the third fast bowler's spot. Muller got the nod by virtue of recent performance and the fact that the Test was being played on his home ground at the 'Gabba.

Muller certainly did not disgrace himself by taking 7 wickets in his first two Tests, but he did not quite live up to expectations and was unable to tie down one end against the free-scoring Pakistani batsmen. For the third Test in Perth, Muller was dropped and Lee and Michael Kasprowicz inducted into the Australian team.

Kasprowicz, who had not played a Test since the first against England the previous summer, had been in wicket-taking form for Queensland and as a bowler with Test experience, he was chosen ahead of Lee, who had never bowled at the WACA before and was thus relegated to 12th man. Reliability was what the Australian selectors desired, rather than untapped potential, and the fast-medium swing of Kasprowicz delivered by taking 7 wickets while Lee, an unknown quantity, was held in reserve.

There is something inherently exciting about a genuinely fast bowler, and for proof of that you need look no further than Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar, who claimed more headlines than he did wickets in the series against Australia. Lee may not be in Shoaib's league yet, but in terms of pace, he is very close.

When playing for the Australian Cricket Academy a few seasons ago, Lee was clocked at 148kmph. He feels he is faster than that now, which the Australian batsmen can vouch for. The injured Jason Gillespie notwithstanding, Brett Lee is the fastest bowler in Australia and because of that fact, attention has focussed on him. Each season the Australian selectors tend to find a bowler from out of the blue -- last summer it was Matthew Nicholson, this time around it is Lee. While Lee's results are not yet outstanding, his pure speed is obviously a great platform from which to add consistency and control.

The experience gained from being part of a winning Australian dressing room will undoubtedly stand him in good stead for when he is chosen in the XI. Having become familiarised with the Test match scene, Lee would now be aware of how the national side operates and what the demands are. When he does make his debut, possibly against India, his nerves should not be quite so jittery.

With Jason Gillespie, Australia's other young pace weapon, recovering from a broken leg and the promising Matthew Nicholson having suffered a severe form lapse, Lee's chance has quickly emerged and he is in line to make his debut. While much is made of the depth in Australian cricket, the list of quality fast bowlers is a short one and if McGrath were to succumb to an injury, Lee would be thrust into the side immediately.

While not matching his ability with the ball yet, Lee possesses a temperament remarkably similar to that of his New South Wales team-mate, Glenn McGrath. Depending on your point of view, that can be interpreted as a positive sign for Australia or something he may need to address. Tall, blond, and vicious with a ball in hand, he certainly fits the image of an Australian fast bowler.

All Lee has to produce now are the figures. In three games for New South Wales this season he has captured 12 wickets at 29.50, which would not normally get you selected for Australia if you were a bowler tried before, like Kasprowicz, Andrew Bichel or Adam Dale. But Lee has two very important advantages over that trio: speed and youth. His overall first-class statistics are also impressive, having taken 52 wickets at an average of 23.32 from his 13 matches. His best haul, 6/25, came while representing the Cricket Academy against Zimbabwe.

The upcoming tour match against India in Sydney from Thursday will be a most important trial for Lee and could determine whether he plays in the Test series. As the only current Test player picked in a New South Wales team resting its international stars, the opportunity is before him to take a bag of wickets and force his way into the Australian starting XI. His pace alone should keep the Indian batsmen on their toes and allow them a useful preparation for what they may face later in the series.

Lee is unlikely to win his baggy green cap in the first Test in Adelaide, however, since Kasprowicz made a fine comeback to the Test side and only the harshest of selectors would not pick him after snaring match figures of 7/132 in the third Test against Pakistan. But should Kasprowicz falter on a flat batting wicket in Adelaide and Lee continues to rise, the door is open for a debut in Melbourne or on his home ground in Sydney, where leg-spinner Stuart MacGill is also attempting to force his way into the side as a spin partner to Shane Warne.

Whether Lee is given a chance to shine this summer or next, he is clearly ear-marked as a player of the future and one who may be leading the Australian attack with Gillespie in the years to come.