Australian captain Ricky Ponting, left, and bowler Brett Lee confer during the fourth day of the second cricket test match between India and Australia, in Mohali, India, Monday, Oct. 20, 2008. AP Photo/Gautam Singh
While there would’ve been much celebrating in the Australian dressing room following their demolition of England at Headingley, one tourist would have been feeling a bit empty, ‘tourist’ being the key word because that’s what Brett Lee has been for the past month.
Unless some sort of plague or curse affecting the Australian camp, the victory in Leeds ends any chance that Lee will be playing in the Fifth Test. And with it, could be Lee’s Test match career.
Stuart Clark came into the side and grasped his opportunity with both hands.
There was a huge question mark dangling over Mitchell Johnson but he re-found his mojo. With both Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus safe, that leaves no room for Lee.
Maybe Nathan Hauritz will be squeezed in, but that would be it.
Lee is the wrong side of 30, and is in fact, just three months short of his 33rd birthday. If he is patient, there is a chance he could play again.
But there is no certainty.
You have to feel for Lee. He spent a fair chunk of his career on the sidelines due to injury and not being able to break into the final eleven. Then in 2008, following the retirements of Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, he shouldered the Australian attack.
Bowling a massive 580 overs in 14 matches was simply too much strain for his body and he developed a stress fracture and ankle injury. The most he had bowled before this was 378 overs across 10 matches in 2003.
The fracture broke in the Boxing Day Test Match, and he hasn’t played a Test match since.
So if this is the end of his career, what do we make of it? How will history assess him?
He is just the 23rd bowler and fourth Australian to capture 300 Test wickets. You don’t do that unless you are a good bowler.
Lee took 5 wickets in an innings 10 times but never managed a 10-for.
For all of his troubles, he wasn’t a fan favorite with a number of the punters. Some found his celebrations after taking a wicket obnoxious, while others thought he leaked runs too much. Though the statistics don’t really reflect this.
The fact remains is that he put his body on the line for Australia. He will still play the shorter forms of the game but don’t expect to see him again in Test matches.
That is, unless he takes up spin bowling.
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