Former Australian cricketer Brett Lee expresses satisfaction with the resurgence of bowlers in the 2024 Indian Premier League, believing they are finally reclaiming ground lost earlier in the tournament. Brett Lee sees the ongoing IPL season as a testament to the bowlers’ resilience and determination to make their mark.
Brett Lee is a former Australian cricketer, renowned for his fiery fast bowling. During his international career (1999-2012), he was a key player in Australia’s dominant era, winning the 2003 Cricket World Cup, two ICC Champions Trophies (2006 & 2009), and etching his name in the record books as one of the fastest bowlers ever. Brett Lee even took the first-ever hat-tricks in both the T20 World Cup and Cricket World Cup.
IPL 2024 has been a batter’s paradise. Flat pitches with minimal bounce and turn have made life difficult for bowlers, while short boundaries in many stadiums add to the woes of restricting high-scoring totals. Explosive batting, a hallmark of the modern T20 game, further puts bowlers on the back foot as batsmen look to score big from the outset. Despite these challenges, bowlers haven’t been entirely powerless. Spinners with a bag of variations have emerged as crucial figures.
Left-arm spinners like Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel, and young talents like Harpreet Brar have been particularly effective. Their tight lines and ability to control the middle overs have helped contain the run flow. Slower ball specialists have also found success. Experienced campaigners like Sandeep Sharma and rising stars like Matheesha Pathirana have deceived batsmen by cleverly mixing up their paces.
Their ability to take the pace off the ball has created scoring difficulties for the batsmen. Of course, the deathovers remain the domain of the best. Jasprit Bumrah continues to be a master of this phase, consistently hitting the yorker mark and restricting batsmen during the crucial final stages.
What Brett Lee Said
In this year’s IPL, everyone’s been talking about the huge scores and how bowlers are getting hit hard. But Brett Lee, the famous Aussie fast bowler, believes that in the past three weeks of the tournament, bowlers are finally starting to fight back.
Lee told IANS,
“The batting’s been outstanding; we have seen a thousand sixes being hit in this (season of) Indian Premier League. The batters have been on fire, but the bowlers need to make sure they are coming into their own, which is definitely there in the last three weeks. The pitches have now started to turn more, while the fast bowlers are getting a few more wickets,”
When questioned about bowlers frequently sending down wides in attempts to avoid batters’ striking zones, Lee responded,
“The bowlers aren’t bowling wides on purpose, they are trying to bowl down that wide line guidelines and are just missing their mark unfortunately. I don’t mind that as if they are trying to hit their target while being inside the wide zone, it’s better than bowling a good length which can be hit for six,”
In the IPL 2024, certain teams have opted to bench bowlers when they don’t have a favourable match-up against the batsmen at the crease. Lee believes there’s too much emphasis on the match-up aspect in the tournament, as he said,
“Sometimes it is too many computers involved and there are always different matchups involved. If you are the best bowler in the team, you have to take the first over, it’s as simple as that,”
The IPL has uncovered a rising fast-bowling sensation in Mayank Yadav, consistently clocking speeds above 150kph, earning praise from fans and cricketing legends globally. However, Mayank’s journey hit a snag as he missed five matches for Lucknow Super Giants due to a side strain. Unfortunately, he suffered a recurrence of the injury during a match against Mumbai Indians, leaving him virtually sidelined from the remainder of the competition.
“They have to load their body up and make sure that firstly, they have the right nutrition in their diet. They also have to make sure that they need to have enough bowlers underneath their belt. Sometimes we put a limit on how many overs that they can bowl, and when they come to a big game or tournament, they break down as they haven’t worked hard enough on their body,” Lee commented on the efficient methods for handling fast-bowling talents such as Mayank.
“My advice would be to take things ‘aaram se’ (take it easy) and just chill. Mayank has got time on his side and unfortunately, he has rushed to bowling again after injury. I have had a side strain – two muscle tears in my life, which is unheard of for a fast bowler.” Lee explained further on the topic.
“But I know after a side muscle tear, it takes a long time and doesn’t take two weeks to recover. You have to take proper rest and that’s where the power comes from. He is the next best thing for India. I have said this before I am looking forward to watching him bowl. I didn’t even bowl at 150kmps at my playing time, honestly.”
“He has got more pace and so, they have to nurture this young pace talent coming through. It comes down to fitness and the right diet; so people in India are looking after their bodies – guys and girls are going to the gym now and eating the right food. This is also a big part of that jigsaw puzzle that one can put in to complete the package. It’s hard work to be a fast bowler; if you want to be one, you will be injured – it’s part and parcel of the game.”
Lee was addressing reporters at an event where he was unveiled as the brand ambassador for Australian avocados entering the Indian market. He also commended former Australia women’s captain Meg Lanning for her courage in openly discussing her battle with disordered eating, which ultimately led to her retirement from international cricket last year.
“I have been an avid fan of avocados since I can remember. As a baby, my parents would feed me avocados and it became a part of my meals in growing-up years during breakfast, lunch and dinner. We are blessed to have Australian avocados, as they are the best in the world. Moreover, lots of Australian cricketers always have avocados, which means something is there in it.”
“It has definitely been a secret weapon for me over the years when playing cricket and looking to fuel my body with the right stuff. So, it’s time for me to share love and passion for avocados from Australia to India and it will change the way for many people here to inject it into their diet,” he said in conclusion.