'I'm sure I can bowl quicker'
Brett Lee is 26 but he still feels like he's celebrating his 21st birthday
How do you get on with Shoaib Akhtar?
We're great mates. He gives a lot of kids a lot of joy when he steams in, pushing off the sightscreen, his hair flapping in the wind. It's like the good old days when Thommo used to bowl. There's certainly no speed contest. In the World Cup he bowled at 161.3kph (100.8mph), so he holds the title. Which sits great with me.
Are you at your fastest now? Or can you get faster still?
How long's a piece of string? I'm sure I can bowl quicker. They've done studies that show a fast bowler doesn't reach his peak strength until he's about 29. So the next three years of my life are my big three years. I'm doing everything I can to get that extra yard of pace. I'm doing a lot more sand running. I'm doing weights which are specific to bowling fast. I'm taking care of my body, eating the right stuff. I can bowl a lot longer. And I'm running quicker too, because I've been doing all this sprint work. So if that's the case - if I'm stronger, fitter and quicker - then I'm going to bowl faster.
Have you set yourself a goal?
If I'm lucky enough to bowl 161 or 162kph (100mph), I'll be proud. But I'd give it all back to take a few wickets in a Test match.
When Ricky Ponting replaced Waugh as one-day captain he very publicly ordered you to slow down and tighten up. Was that a turning point?
It was a tough time. I'd had Steve my whole life telling me to run in and bowl quick, just enjoy it. And then Ricky came in and said he wanted me to hold back my pace, to make sure I'm not going for so many runs. I went into a few games thinking: "I don't really know what the captain wants." I was a bit hesitant. I was thinking don't bowl a wide, don't get hit for four. So of course I got hit for four. Now I'm thinking let's do the things I do best. Let's bowl fast and straight.
When you play for Australia, what goes through your head?
It's like having your 21st birthday each time you walk out. It's huge. I'm a pretty quiet person off the field, I think I'm pretty gentle. But as soon as I'm on the field my whole character changes. I step into a different mode. And that's something I love doing. I love coming out of my shell when I'm playing cricket.
You said you were "pumped" when Ian Meckiff gave you your first Test cap.
I'd been dreaming of it since I was nine. I used to watch on TV and each time Steve Waugh walked out my chest would fill out. I thought: "I've got to get my hands on this baggy green cap." So when Ian Meckiff handed over my baggy green cap, I felt like having a bit of a tear in my eye. Because I'd worked so hard for it and I'd always wanted it.
Did the irony of it being Meckiff - who, like you, was accused of chucking - strike you later?
Yeah, that was quite weird. At the time I said jokingly to one of my team-mates that Meckiff was called for throwing. And then, ironically, I was questioned about my action - which got shut down real quick.
That must have been a frightening time?
It was. I was shattered. I'm always an honest person and that's what I want to be known as. The chance of having your career taken away from you is very scary.
You still attract the odd comment, notably from Peter Roebuck, who says your action sometimes looks ragged when you tire.
I don't listen to that. It's his judgement and he's very entitled to it. I think we'll leave it at that.
When Waugh succeeded Mark Taylor he gave the team ruthlessness. Has Ponting brought anything new?
Yeah [long pause] ... There's a lot more laughter out there now, the guys are really enjoying it. It's one-day cricket, it's having fun. Being out there with Steve, the guys are really pumped up because they know what's round the corner, they know some excitement is going to happen. When Steve Waugh makes a field change most times things happen.
But there's more laughter under Ponting?
Yeah, it's a bit more - laid-back is the wrong word - what's the best way to describe it? I don't want it to sound like I'm saying it's not fun when Steve's out there, because playing Test cricket with Steve Waugh is the most fun ever. I think Ricky's a person who shows emotion. I think it's a bit more emotional out there now.
This article was first published in the December 2003 issue of The Wisden Cricketer. Click here for further details.