Lee Out Of T20 World Cup
Brett Lee: Out of action
Aussie fast bowler Brett Lee will miss the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup.
Lee will miss the tournament in the Caribbean after he injured his arm in Australia’s one-run loss to Zimbabwe in a warm-up match, and has been replaced by Ryan Harris.
Cricket Australia said Wednesday that Lee injured a muscle close to his right elbow playing a warm-up game against Zimbabwe and was in such pain by the end of his final over it was decided to withdraw him from the squad.
Lee took 1/13 in Tuesday’s loss to Zimbabwe at St. Lucia and had MRI scans on a tender area near his right elbow. The 33-year-old Lee previously had surgery on his right elbow, which caused his retirement from test cricket to prolong his international career in shorter formats.
“Due to the condensed nature of this tournament, Brett will not recover in time to take any further part and has therefore been withdrawn from the squad,” said Australia team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris.
“This is not a recurrence of the elbow injury that recently required surgery, but a new injury that will require specialist opinion upon his return to Australia.”
The team asked the International Cricket Council for permission to name a replacement and Harris, a swing bowler, will join the team.
“While it obviously disappointing for Brett, this gives Ryan Harris a wonderful opportunity to join the Australian squad in the West Indies for the ICC World Twenty20 tournament,” said chief selector Andrew Hilditch.
“Ryan was very close to selection in the initial 15-man squad. He has been in excellent form for Australia in one-day and test formats and during his recent stint at the IPL. We believe he is the ideal replacement for Brett, being a right-arm swing bowler with a good ability to bowl at the death of an innings. His ability with the bat and in the field also adds extra versatility to our squad.”
SAPA
Lee’s World Cup In Doubt
Brett Lee is a doubtful for the ICC World Twenty20.
Injuries woes have followed Lee around like a rash. The latest problem resulted from a broken thumb picked up during the King’s XI Punjab’s victory over the Mumbai Indians in IPL 3.
“It is unfortunate that Brett Lee has to leave the tournament due to a fractured thumb,” said Kumar Sangakkara, the captain of Punjab, who said he hoped Lee would not miss the World Twenty20. “I hope not as we know he is a world-class performer and we would like him to be back fit soon.”
Lee struggled in the opening matches of the IPL, and found it difficult to find his form after an elbow injury kept him out of action for most of the summer. Nevertheless Aussie coach Tim Nielsen would still like to have the speedy Lee in the squad for the Caribbean event.
”All we can do is wait and see how it reacts over the next four or five days before we have our camp and head off to the West Indies,” Nielsen told the Age on Wednesday. “Hopefully it will heal, and the scans and things he’s having at the moment will show exactly the nature of the damage and what the likelihood of him playing is.”
The ICC World Twenty20 kicks off on the 30 April.
Courtesy www.cricinfo.com
Don’t Let Your Babies Be Fast Bowlers
Fast Bowler Brett Lee
If the songwriting duo Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings were cricket fans, they would have added a phrase to the line from their hit: “Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys… or fast bowlers.”
On the same day that Brett Lee announced the termination of his Test appearances in an attempt to prolong his cricket career, a sprightly Sachin Tendulkar was adding to his glittering reputation by amassing a spectacular double-century, the first in one-day internationals.
Lee, a genuine fast bowler, is 33. Tendulkar, a top-order batsman, is closing in on 37. Life expectancy may have dramatically improved since the 1960s but the medical advances don’t apply to fast bowlers. In his illustrious Test career Dennis Lillee bowled nearly 2000 more deliveries than Lee.
Tendulkar was in attendance when Lee commenced his 300-wicket Test career with a memorable bag of five at the MCG. The difference being, at that stage Tendulkar had already been around for 10 years and scored a career worth of centuries (he compiled his 22nd in that Test).
Another decade on, and the batsman is still operating like a long-life battery while the fast bowler is rapidly approaching his use-by-date. The assumption could easily be made that mamas should let their babies grow up to be batsmen.
Throughout his career Lee has displayed ample determination to recover from debilitating injuries. He always put in the hard work in the gym and on the running track to ensure each comeback was successful, but in the end a serious elbow injury was one operation too many. It’s amazing that with so many setbacks he played his cricket with a ready smile and never a snarl.
And despite all the pain and endless rehabilitation work, Lee still saw fit to hand out some important advice while announcing his Test career was over. At a time when fast bowlers such as Shane Bond and Shaun Tait are showing a distinct preference for the shortest (and most lucrative) version of the game, Lee has advocated that budding speedsters challenge themselves by playing Tests.
Test cricket needs genuine pace bowlers to fully live up to its reputation of being the only thorough examination of a player. However, a youngster would be unwise to head down that career path if he doesn’t possess a big heart, a capacity for hard work and a tolerance for pain.
That’s not to say batsmen don’t also require a big heart and a strong work ethic. No one has spent more time on his batting than Tendulkar who still hits numerous practice shots in preparation for special performances like the one in Gwalior.
When he was about the age Lee is now, it appeared Tendulkar’s spectacular career was winding down. A series of injuries had robbed him of much of the sparkle that made his batting stand out above all but Brian Lara’s. However, by gaining a second wind, Tendulkar has shown he has ample determination, a strong mind and a great desire to compete.
It’s not just the number of runs he’s scored in this prolific period (although four Test centuries in six innings is pretty impressive); rather it’s the manner of his run-gathering. In his scintillating 175 against Australia and the double-century that demolished South Africa, it was his dominance that stood out.
Both innings rattled along at much better than a run-a-ball,s and when he is regularly punching drives off the back foot you know Tendulkar is master of all he surveys.
The urge to dominate, which defined his little-maestro period, was replaced by a more tenacious Tendulkar in his thirties, but thankfully the urge to dictate to bowlers has resurfaced of late. Maybe with Virender Sehwag demolishing attacks he didn’t feel the need to dominate.
Whatever had been dragging on his batting reins was suddenly released for those two ODI innings and the little maestro made a couple of welcome reappearances.
For a while it appeared certain Ricky Ponting would surpass Tendulkar’s Test aggregate and maybe even his tally of centuries. Now that a revitalised Tendulkar has shown a renewed thirst for runs and dominance, that’s far from a guarantee.
However, if the cricketing mamas of this world ignore Lee’s message and influence their young to eschew fast bowling, there’s no guessing what massive run-making records a future batting maestro might accumulate.
Courtesy of Cricinfo
Brett Lee – It May All Be Over
Australian fast bowler Brett Lee admits he may never play for his country again as he battles to recover from elbow surgery.
The 33-year-old underwent an operation in December which has sidelined him for the entire Australian summer.
Lee also missed the Ashes Test series last year after suffering a side strain before the opening Test in Cardiff.
He has not played a Test for his country since late 2008 and while he has remained an important part of Australia’s one-day team, he has no idea what the future holds.
Lee told the Herald Sun: “As far as my cricket goes, anything is possible – I may play one-dayers, or no cricket at all.”
Despite his injuries, the paceman has taken 310 wickets in 76 Tests for Australia.
“I may never bowl another ball and if that’s the case, I’m so satisfied with my career and my longevity. I’m not saying it’s definitely over, but I’m not sure what I want to be just yet,” he added.
“To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure what I still want to do in my cricketing life. I need to get to the stage where, if I want to, I can do what I need to do on the field.
“If it’s the case that I don’t play again, well, that’s the case. There is a part of me that would like to play some sort of cricket again.”
Lee admitted that his current injury is the most painful he has had to endure.
And with no timescale yet on when he will be ready to return to bowling, let alone the playing field, he is resigned to a slow rehabilitation.
“This has been the hardest surgery I’ve been through. It’s certainly been the most painful,” he said.
“There’s no miracle treatment for me. It’s taking time. I still don’t know when I’ll be able to bowl again. I can’t even give you an exact time.
“I will see how the arm pulls up because I can’t achieve any aspirations in cricket unless my body is functional. It just takes time really. It’s something I can’t rush.”
Thanks to Sky Sports News
Loading ...
.PNG){kind=icon}
