Australia fast bowling great Brett Lee gave an interview to Dhaka Tribune where he spoke about the World Cup and the pacemen in general. Here are the excerpts:
Quite a few teams are contenders in this World Cup. It’s an open World Cup?
A total of 10 nations are fighting for the World Cup. All the teams are going to put a good fight. Obviously there are some favorites. I would say Australia, India, the Kiwis and England have very good chances.
How do you see Australia’s chance of defending the title this time?
Of course Australia have a very good chance. They are in top form at the moment.
How do you assess Bangladesh’s prospects in this World Cup?
Look, Bangladesh still have a bit of work to do. Belief in oneself is important. If they believe they can produce very good result that would be helpful. There are a couple of guys at the top order; Liton Das is a player that can hit some big sixes. Tamim Iqbal is also there. Shakib al Hasan is also a very good player and a key player for them. Although Shakib got a golden duck in the practice match, it was a very good delivery in the first ball he faced against Jasprit Bumrah.
Australia have won five World Cups so far, and four out of the last five. What’s the secret behind the Australia team’s successes in the world event?
I think it is belief within the team and players. We have won five World Cups and that’s a huge number. The Aussies know how to win a World Cup. It’s the way we train, we prepare and back ourselves. We have a pretty good squad this time too.
You are talking about the belief about Australian players. Does that belief cross over from generation to generation?
Australia’s strength is the belief. We have won five World Cups. It’s the way we train, the way we prepare and the way we back ourselves. And we got a pretty good squad too.
The belief crosses over generations, obviously. When we talk about the 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2015 World Cups, we were not the same class.
How important will be the pace bowlers in UK conditions?
I want to see the ball swing; I want to see the ball hoop, to me that’s very important.
Do you think the art of pace bowling is dying these days?
I do not believe pace bowling is dying. You will still see bowlers like Kemar Roach.
But not many express bowlers like yourself or Shoaib Akhtar are seen in the international circuit these days.
There are some fast bowlers out there. They are fast enough. I think Mitchell Starc bowls with good pace. Kemar Roach also bowls fast. And also Jasprit Bumrah bowls with good pace.
