On the night that Brett Lee posted his career best one day figures of 5 for 22 picking up his first five wicket bag against South Africa in the process, it seems an apt time to note that Lee has increasingly of late demonstrated a sublime control of the white ball.

In his last 25 one day outings (including tonight’s game) Lee has claimed 51 wickets at 18.21. An average that is second only to Shane Bond out of the crop of bowlers currently playing one day internationals. (Lee has though played 120 games to Bond’s 40).

But Lee’s effectiveness with a white ball goes beyond numbers. Watching him bowl an opening spell in a one day international is a riveting affair. Provided he has not expended too much energy during his batting exploits, Lee sends down his leather bound missiles with unerring accuracy to match his blistering pace. Given the right conditions he will also demonstrate an ability to swing the new white ball with control, which for a bowler of his pace is a remarkable feat.

You sense Lee is immensely comfortable with both the white ball and his role within the one day side. He is expected to strike knockout blows within his opening burst and that expectation sits well on his athletic shoulders. He frowns in expectation with every ball bowled and looks disappointed if it is not a wicket taking delivery. He blends his armoury of short pitched deliveries and late swinging full pitched balls with magnificent aplomb.

He is a truly masterful one day player that has surfed the wave of ascendancy in recent times. His career best performance against the Proteas in Melbourne should not have been unexpected. He has been steadily asserting himself as Australia’s premier strike bowler and his figures tonight were just reward for a player who gives his heart and soul into each and every delivery. Combine his steadily improving bowling with his rapidly advancing batting and Lee may be claiming rights to be called a genuine all-rounder.

But for his white ball bowling alone, it would be a tough call to suggest that he does not deserve to be credited as the best exponent of white ball pace mastery playing the game today.

Alfred Thompson would be proud.

The subtle recognition of that is that Lee bowls the first over now instead of McGrath; not an easy concession.

They were deep in talk walking off the field; the Old Master and the New tonight. They will take the new ball for Australia in the 2007 World Cup, and will give opposing sides a real headache.

You forgot to mention his ability to bowl murdering potential carrying beamers, that of course, he and his skipper maintain he bowls 'unintentionally'.

Lee is one of the best bowlers in the one day game now, and steadily improving in the test format too, and yes, he's also very, very exciting to watch, but he better do something about this beamer of his. He didn't bowl one today, but he's bowled a dangerously large amount in the recent past, and I'm with Peter Roebuck in thinking some day if he's unlucky he might kill some one.

ps: Don't think McGrath's the same force now, and he's also a lot more vulnerable to injuries then he has ever been in his past, so I'm not sure he could last till 2007, still a good 13-14 months away.

I had 2 separate Brett Lee post titles waiting to write, this one and the as yet un-started “Brett’s Beamers” so it’s interesting that you should mention his full bungers in response to this post. I agree it’s the unacceptable part of his game but was going to try and explore what degree of intent there is (or isn’t) behind his occasional baseball pitches.

Ehh? Brett Lee picking up 1-50 against S.Lanka and R.P Singh picking up 4 wickets on debut against Pakistan??
There's no doubt about it, the End of the World is nigh.
At least I was right about "Mr. Periscope" Shoaib Malik...

:)