Lee impressed by Sran

Dubai - Former Aussie speedster calls on India to produce conducive pitches

Former Aussie pace ace Brett Lee has been impressed by Indian left-arm pacer Barinder Sran but added that India could do well to change the state of their pitches if they are to produce an assembly line of fast bowlers.
The lanky quick, who made life miserable for batsmen the world over with his venom-filled 160km snorters, said that cutting down on pace just to prolong one's career was not the right way to go.
"I've been impressed with Sran, I think he bowled really well. Left-arm, bowls good pace, swings the ball," Lee said in an interview.
Sran made his debut in the recent ODI series against Australia and bowled with a lot of variety and change of pace to take three wickets from three matches.
Nicknamed 'Bing,' Lee was a constant threat in all three formats of the game. He played 76 Tests and scalped 310 wickets for Australia. Lee also featured in 221 One Day Internationals during which he picked up 380 wickets. He also played 25 T20 Internationals and took 28 wickets.
Having hung up his boots in 2012, Lee continues to play in Australia's Big Bash and now fans in the UAE, who never got to watch him during his heyday, will get a golden opportunity to see him in the flesh. The New South Welshman will feature in the Masters Champions League (MCL) with the Virgo Super Kings.
"I think their (India's) batting was really strong and I think where they lacked was their bowling, particularly their fast bowlers. So, I think they have got some work to do. They have got some great young bowlers coming through but they just haven't really fired this particular time," he added.
That rare breed of out-and-out fast bowlers is becoming extinct now with bowlers cutting down on their pace to lengthen their careers. And Lee was a tad disappointed with that approach. But he also pointed out that surfaces in the subcontinent had a part to play in it and called for sporting pitches.
"I find that hard to watch. You want people bowling over 150km. I never thought that my career span would be cut short. I tried to bowl 160km every ball for 20 odd years," said the 39-year-old.
"I think you got to make sure you prepare wickets conducive to fast bowling. You know, if they are playing on low, slow and flat wickets, it doesn't give an incentive for a quick to run in and bowl fast. So, they need to work on the wickets, get better wickets for fast bowlers and then introduce a lot more fast bowlers," added Lee.
Lee was also critical of the pitches dished out in Australia for the recent ODI series against India. Australian captain Steve Smith too had had a swipe at the pitches Down Under, calling them 'batsman friendly." Previously Australia had some of the quickest and bouncy pitches in the world.
"I thought they were pretty ordinary and I thought that the one in Sydney was probably the best, it had a bit for both bat and ball but the wickets are very low and slow and I've been very, very disappointed," he said.
Coming to the MCL, Lee said he was looking forward to playing against former Indian opener Virender Sehwag as well as West Indian legend Brian Lara.
"What a legend. I saw him in the lift the other day. It is going to be fun and I expect to get hit all over the park again," Lee joked on going up against Sehwag.
"I'm looking forward to bowling to Viru and to Brian Charles Lara. I think that will be two batsmen that I would love to dismiss hopefully. But it is going to be loads of fun. Sehwag is a hero of mine and I love playing cricket against him," Lee said.
Lee also said that the MCL was a great platform and reiterated that it won't be only fun and games and promised no let-up when he gets onto the field.
"It is a wonderful opportunity to get to play against a lot of my old teammates, old rivals that I've had the chance to play against, not to mention the greats. It is all fun and games now when we are all sitting down here. But once we step out, I think that the competitive juices will start to flow and there is a lot of pride on hand here. So, we got to make sure that when we have the opportunity, we will play as hard as we can," he said.
james@khaleejtimes.com