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Lee hopeful he has turned the corner

Roar Guru
21st April, 2010
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Brett Lee is thinking “outside the square” to ensure next month’s World Twenty20 tournament isn’t his last hurrah in Australian colours. The injury-plagued speedster Brett Lee is fit to return to international action in the Caribbean but knows he must be craftier to stay there.

Training with the Australian squad in Brisbane, Lee on Wednesday had his first bowl since breaking his thumb in a forgettable four-match stint in the Indian Premier League in his return from elbow surgery.

The 33-year-old failed to pick up a wicket in 14.3 overs for the Kings XI Punjab and went for 149 runs, more than 10 an over, including 25 off one nightmare over again Robin Uthappa.

“Apart from that one over, I thought I bowled pretty well during the IPL,” he said.

“I was a little bit unlucky, but that’s part of cricket.

“To get back on the field after pretty major elbow surgery, I’m really confident and happy about that.

“To me it wasn’t about the figures, it would have been nice to get a wicket or two, but I was happy with the way the ball came out.”

Still, Lee – who is competing with Mitchell Johnson, Dirk Nannes and Shaun Tait for a game – recognises he must do more than just charge in and fire down 150kph thunderbolts and was trying some new change-up deliveries in the Gabba indoor nets.

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“It’s important for the fast bowler to have a couple of things up his sleeve and be a bit more cagey,” he said.

“In T20 cricket we’ve seen all the adaptations that the batsmen have done – stance, lap sweeps – and bowlers have to be a little bit crafty as well.

“Changing angles, different balls, distracting batsmen in certain ways which are all legal. Just trying different stuff – think outside the square.”

Despite his age and injury history, the national selectors took a leap of faith in re-contracting Lee for 2010 after he announced his Test retirement, ending his first-class career in Australia.

“It’s been a tough couple of years (with injury), hopefully I’ve turned the corner now and things will be a little bit brighter,” he said.

“I still want to play for a few more years, definitely, certainly have a major role for Australia.”

Michael Clarke’s 15-man squad flies to the West Indies on Friday and will play two warm-up matches against Zimbabwe and Windward Islands in St Lucia next week before their tournament opener against Pakistan on May 2.

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New Zealand are also preparing for the World Twenty20 in Brisbane, where wet weather frustrated both camps on Wednesday.

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