Pitches 'are getting hard to bowl on' - Lee

Brett Lee, the Australian fast bowler, feels pitches around the world are getting harder for fast bowlers and wants tracks to have more assistance.

"The wickets these days are getting hard to bowl on," Lee told PTI. "I say it tongue in cheek about there being no pitches in the world conducive to fast bowling. But there are hardly any pitches in the world which are green and juicy and encourage fast bowlers.

"I am not asking for a pitch that moves the ball three or four feet both ways but I am talking about giving the bowler a bit of assistance and encouraging young lads to bowl fast."

Lee, who has taken 289 wickets in Tests and 303 in ODIs, was in red-hot form in Australia's recent series. He took 53 wickets in his last eight Tests, and was Player of the Series in the Tests against Sri Lanka and India.

Recently, Viv Richards rated him as good as the fast bowling greats of the 1980s and the early 90s. "It was a great feeling ... to be praised by somebody like him is certainly special. Those were lovely comments that Viv made and I felt humbled."

Lee also took part in the Indian Premier League and was pleased with his stint for the Kings XI Punjab. "The thing that impressed me most was playing in a team made up of a whole lot of cultures," he said. "I think we will have to wait and see what happens on that. However, IPL has been brilliant and I am looking forward to the next season.

"Test cricket is my favourite but I like playing Twenty20. It's fast and brings different kinds of people to the game."

The Test series between Sri Lanka and India has the umpire review system but Lee said it took away a bit of the game's charm. "I still like the human element there," he said. "I like an umpire's presence, I think it's important to cricket.

"It's good for stumping and run outs but I believe the human element should always be there. For leg before decisions, I like the [on-field] umpire to take the call and I think most times they do get it right."