Match figures of 0-188 may not seem the ideal Test preparation for Australia’s senior bowler, but Brett Lee is full of confidence going into next week’s first Test against Sri Lanka.
Lee laboured long and hard for 50 overs without reward on a flat SCG pitch in the drawn four-day game against Queensland that finished yesterday.
But he was delighted with how he bowled in his first long match spell since ankle surgery in April.
“To get through 50 overs at really good pace, I’m really, really pleased with the way I bowled here,” Lee said.
“The only thing I could do in this game was to try and bowl the right line and length, get the ball going through to (wicketkeeper) Brad Haddin.
“I felt like my pace was right back to its best – even probably a bit quicker than I’ve been bowling for a long, long time.
“There were a few chances, a few decisions turned down, so hopefully up in the Test match the catches will stick and the wickets will come my way.”
Lee said he felt completely fresh despite the workload, and the only reminder he had of four hard days of cricket was a couple of blisters.
“The ankle felt a hundred per cent. You go from bowling four overs in a Twenty20 match or 10 overs in a one-day match to bowling out here on a four-day wicket that was low, slow, with massive footholes, and my body came through fighting fit, which was great.”
Lee was not the only prospective Test bowler who did it tough.
Queenslander Mitchell Johnson, who is hoping to make his Test debut at the Gabba next week sharing the new ball with Lee, also went wicketless in his 36 overs.
Leg-spinner Stuart MacGill went for 280 runs in taking four wickets, while Stuart Clark was his usual impressive self with match figures of 7-150.
Lee, who was back at the SCG today launching his version of the children’s book Childhood Heroes, had some words of comfort for young left-armer Johnson.
“Even though like me he didn’t get any wickets, I thought Mitch bowled well,” Lee said.
“On days like that he has to make sure that he doesn’t look up to the screen and see no wickets next to his name.
“He got the work that he needed to get out of it. He’s been bowling beautifully so there’s no need for him to panic.”
Johnson said he was happy with how he bowled.
“It was my first four-day game in 12 months so it was good to get out there with the red ball and blow out the cobwebs,” he said.
“I haven’t been belted for a hundred for a while, but it was a pretty good wicket to bat on so I’m not too disappointed with the way things went.
Johnson said he was getting a little more nervous about the possibility of Test selection as the time draws nearer.
“To get my baggy green at the Gabba would be a dream,” he said.
“I’ve already got friends and family sending texts and asking if I’ve found out or not yet.”
He said he was a better player than this time last year, when he was contending for an Ashes place.
“Being around the Australian team the last 12 months has made me back myself a lot more,” he said.
“The confidence is there now and I back my ability as a cricketer.”
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