Brett Lee credits fellow fast-bowling legend Dennis Lillee with setting him on the path to greatness in a career that has led to his induction into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame.
Lee, renowned for his express pace, first set his sights on crashing through the 160kmh barrier and wearing the baggy green, when he was nine years old.
But it was as a teenager that the NSW South Coast product had his first encounter with Lillee at a fast-bowling camp.
‘You’re the quickest here, but if you don’t change your (bowling) action, in two years I reckon you’ll have a broken back,’ Lee, now 49, recalls Lillee saying.
At the time, Lee ignored the advice.
‘When you’re 16 you think you’re invincible, and two years later I broke my back,’ he said.
Aussie fast-bowling legend Brett Lee is pictured after being inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame on Sunday
Lee (pictured with former teammate Shane Warne during the 2005 Ashes) became one of the quickest and most feared bowlers in cricket history
The former Aussie star’s life changed when he met legendary paceman Dennis Lillee (pictured) at a cricket camp when he was a teenager
Cricket Australia, then known as the Australian Cricket Board, was desperate to nurture Lee’s talent and flew the young speedster to Perth to work with Lillee.
‘Throughout my whole career he’s been incredible in modifying my action, changing my action and allowing me to play – I wouldn’t say pain-free – but to get to the speeds I did,’ Lee said.
Lee went on to become one of the quickest and most feared bowlers in cricket history, claiming 310 wickets in 76 Tests during one of Australia’s most formidable fast-bowling eras.
He was also one of the nation’s greatest limited-overs bowlers, taking 380 wickets in 221 ODIs and 28 wickets in 25 T20Is over an international career that spanned 1999-2012.
One of three brothers, Lee recalls he couldn’t bat or bowl leg-spin as a kid, and always dreamed of bowling fast.
He treated the 160kmh mark like runners did the four-minute mile, idolising the likes of Lillee and Jeff Thomson.
Lee’s fastest delivery in international cricket was clocked at 161.1kmh – among the fastest balls ever bowled.
‘I wanted to bowl quick and to have that thrill of being able to run in and see the stumps fly, it became this obsession,’ Lee said.
Lee aimed to break the 160kmh/100mph barrier, like one of his idols, Jeff Thomson – and did just that during his glittering career
‘That’s what I wanted to do. I think back to the age of nine or 10 and I wanted to break that 160km/h barrier.
‘Jeff Thomson was a guy I looked up to through the 70s and 80s and 160.45km/h was his record.
‘I thought, ‘I want to have a crack at that one day’ – and I was lucky to achieve it.’
Lee was a key figure in an era of Australian dominance, contributing to one-day World Cup titles in 2003 and 2007, as well as multiple Ashes campaigns.
Fittingly, he was unveiled as a Hall of Fame inductee on Sunday at the foot of Lillee’s statue outside the MCG, after a Boxing Day Test that was dominated by bowlers.
