Legendary Australian fast bowler Brett Lee has reserved big praise for Australia’s current bowling attack, which includes the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, along with spinner
Nathan Lyon. According to Lee, who dismissed 310 batters in Tests, 380 in ODIs and 28 in T20Is during his 13-year-long international career from 1999 to 2012, the current bowling attack is Australia’s best ever.
‘Binga’ feels that the current attack has surpassed Australia’s bowling unit of the early 2000s, which included the likes of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Lee himself.
Cummins, Starc, Lyon and Hazlewood have now played 389 Tests between them and dismissed a total of 1586 batters. Lyon has 562 wickets to his credit in 140 matches played so far, whereas Starc has accounted for the dismissal of 420 batters in 102 Tests.
Cummins, who will lead the Baggy Greens in the third Test starting December 17 at Adelaide Oval, has 309 wickets to his name in 71 Tests, and Hazlewood has removed 295 batters so far in the five-day format of the game.
They have played 35 Tests together for Australia and dismissed 567 batters to help their side win 22 matches.
On the other hand, McGrath, Warne, Gillespie and Lee dismissed a total of 1842 batters in Tests. They won 10 of 16 Tests they played together and played a major role in Australia’s dominance of world cricket.
But Lee feels that the current group has now usurped them.
“They’re the best ever, I reckon,” Lee told AAP. “It’s different eras, and hard to compare, but I would put them above us.”
“If you look purely at stats, everyone has taken over 250 Test wickets, and that’s never been done before.”
“Scott Boland, if he is included in that, is a bit like Michael Kasprowicz; he didn’t really get an opportunity but is a wonderful bowler.”
“These guys are so good that the Australian public won’t recognise how good they are until they’re gone,” he added.
Cummins eyes Lee’s record, Lyon targets McGrath’s tally
Cummins and Lyon are all set to return to Australia’s playing XI for the third Test of the ongoing Ashes series against England in Adelaide. In the match scheduled to take place at Adelaide Oval from December 17 to 21, Cummins will lead the Baggy Greens, and he will also have a chance to go past Lee’s tally of wickets in Tests. Lee finished his Test career with 310 wickets, and Cummins has dismissed 307 batters so far. He needs four more wickets to go past Lee’s tally.
On the other hand, if Lyon dismisses at least two English batters in the Adelaide Test, then he will go past McGrath’s tally of 563 wickets and become Australia’s second-highest wicket-taker in the five-day format of the game.
