Sydney: Australia’s legendary fast bowler Glenn McGrath has said that in spite of being out of test cricket for more than six months, Brett Lee is still a world class bowler and should be picked in the Australian squad as soon as he gets fit.

Brett Lee hasn’t played any test match since the second Ashes test last year and he is currently recovering from an elbow bone spur that he picked up during the first ODI of the ongoing India-Australia series. Once fit, Lee will have tough competition from the likes of Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus, who have performed brilliantly in his absence.

However, McGrath, who was at the Sydney Cricket Ground launching the Jane McGrath Day for January’s Sydney test, said that Lee still remained a threat to international batsmen. “I think Brett’s still got a lot to offer – a lot of experience that he brings to the team, that fear factor, the aura there he’s created,” McGrath said at the SCG. “In saying that the guys that have done the job – the way Mitchell Johnson’s bowled, Pete Siddle has impressed me and Hilfy and Dougy Bollinger coming on the scene – you can’t fault any of them. It’s good, healthy competition but I would have ‘Binga’ in any team I played in if he’s back fit again.”

Lee, 33, has played 76 tests so far, picking up 310 wickets in those matches. But recently, there have been doubts over his fitness and his ability to play back-to-back test matches. After recovering from ankle surgery, Lee did not play a single Test during the Ashes series due to a side strain. The latest elbow injury, which resulted in an early departure from the India one-day series, came following some match winning performances in the limited-overs format.

New South Wales face Tasmania in a Sheffield Shield match next week and Lee will have to play in that game to be a serious contender for the opening contest against West Indies from November 26. “In a Test the workload is going to be pretty heavy and I don’t think Brett would want to go into a Test where he was concerned [about his body],” McGrath, who took 563 wickets in 124 Tests, said. “If he broke down in that first match back, it could damage his career a lot more than just sitting that one out and coming back when he was 100% right.”

“I heard he had a bowl at the nets yesterday and was pretty happy about how it went. If he can get through a four-day match then he can get through a Test match,” he added.

Tagged with: Australia, Ben Hilfenhaus, Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, India, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Sydney

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