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With his Test career on the line and Australia being humbled by the England Lions, Brett Lee was busy playing up to the crowd at the picturesque New Road.
Not an uncommon sight for the fast bowler in the field during his career, but one that suggested he was trying to soak up every moment in Australian colours on what is surely his third and final Ashes tour.
At that stage the Lions were humming along at 0-172 and it looked like captain Ricky Ponting’s decision to call Lee into action was as much to pull him into line as anything else.
But Lee (5-53) said the ball was starting to show signs of reverse swing and he was offered the chance to tail the ball back into the right handers.
Five balls later, Lee had shown he was still capable of being a force at Test level as he missed out on a hat-trick by a matter of inches.
Another 35 balls of mainly toe-curling deliveries later at speeds sometimes in excess of 150km/h and he had not only booked a spot for next week’s Cardiff Test, but greatly enhanced Australia’s prospects of retaining the Ashes.
On dismissing his fifth victim Eoin Morgan lbw, Lee yelled out “Yes!” and the same word could have been tumbling out of the measured chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch at the ground.
On a flat, dry deck, one of Australia’s major goals on day two in Worcester was for the fast bowlers to start getting the ball to reverse swing before the Sophia Gardens Test.
After having their pants pulled down in that department in the series loss in 2005, the Australians should be well prepared for that threat with former English bowling coach Troy Cooley at the helm.
That Lee was capable of swinging the ball and Mitchell Johnson not shouldn’t be too distressing for Australian fans as tour games are renowned for bowlers holding a little in reserve.
Johnson (0-101 in 20 overs) badly needed the work-out after missing last week’s practice match in Hove and the Australian camp will be happy to plough many more overs into him at Worcester.
Lee’s performance eases the mounting expectation on Johnson for the five-Test series, the left-hander having emerged as Australia’s answer to Andrew Flintoff in the past seven months.
The 32-year-old Sydneysider has regularly said he believes his experience could be valuable in a pace attack including Johnson and Peter Siddle.
And Lee was only too happy to admit he was still learning tricks from his former teammate Glenn McGrath.
A flying visit from the most successful fast bowler in Test history this week in Worcester had spurred Lee into action.
McGrath held court at a dinner in the West Midlands this week with members of the team and provided a few tips ahead of Cardiff.
“He has been fantastic for us and gave a bit of a pep talk and couple of things to work on and a few of the things he said definitely helped me out there,” said Lee.
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