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Brett Lee: The Spirited King of Cricket |
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Friday, 07 July 2006 |
By Shabnam Parker
 There comes a time in every cricket fan’s life when a special cricketer comes along and lights up the field with his ability, and moreover, his spirit. A few of the greats immediately spring to mind but in all my years of watching this magnificent game, there has been no one more special than Brett Lee. He sprung onto the cricketing scene back in December 1999 and has been on fire ever since. His post-Ashes performance has had him ablaze, and his grandeur is on show for all to see and enjoy.
I have to admit when the whole cricketing arena was shouting his praise (when he first bounced on the scene), I wasn’t the least bit interested. He was young, ambitious, arrogant and a little too much for me. It was not until the 2005 Ashes series that I sat up and took note of Brett Lee, even though the pulsating Andrew Flintoff may have overshadowed him in that particular contest. Naturally, this would be my stance as I was backing England all the way, but I could not deny the Lee-factor even if I wanted to. His performance with the ball was breathtaking, but his sheer endurance with the bat was something else, especially for a tail-ender. Who could forget that electrifying and most nerve-wracking partnership between him and Shane Warne in the greatest Ashes Test at Edgbaston? They fought back magnificently and as a result Australia was edging closer and closer to the target with only three runs to be triumphant, but victory was to be England’s, who won the match by the narrow margin of two runs.
There were many times that I admired Lee in this contest, but when Flintoff bent down to console Lee after the loss, a space opened up in my heart for him. For me, that was a defining moment in cricket, one that I will always remember. For Lee, it appeared to be the catalyst that drove him on to greater things. Following the Edgbaston Test, Brett was all fired up...literally. That arrogance that I once abhorred became the source of a spirit that I now admire. Even though my loyalty always lies with the team opposing Australia, Lee is one cricketer that I will always cheer. So much so that some of my fellow South African supporters are starting to wonder about my allegiance to the Proteas.
I can safely say that for the rest of my life, I will be a Proteas supporter but will also remain a Brett Lee fan. I know juggling these two extremes will prove difficult, as I have witnessed on countless occasions, but there can be no other way. Brett’s absolute tenacity on the pitch, his consistent fast bowling, his crowd-pleasing habit, his awe-inspiring bouncers, his sportsmanship (I mean really, who else would share a beer with the winning team after that record breaking 438/9 ODI against South Africa?) and his general smiley nature all help to set him a world apart from other cricketers.
As a fan of cricket and as an advocator of the game, it is clear that Brett Lee embodies the spirit of cricket in majestic movements both on and off the pitch. He has a lot more to offer cricket supporters around the world: his pace is on the rise despite his age, he is willing to break more boundaries than before and not even silly banter and bitter crowds can keep him at bay. If one ever required a person to admire, a role model to emulate, a man to pursue, and a cricketer to applaud, then Brett Lee would most definitely be that individual.
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