When Brett Lee limped off the field during his third over in the fourth ODI against England at
Durham, most people expected it to be just another injury in the fast bowler's 13-year long career.
As one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket, the 35-year-old Australian pacer has been no stranger to injuries and has come back strongly every time he has been laid low.
But this time, it was not so. The calf muscle, he pulled up during his run-up turned out to be the last injury his body could take, and those 2.2 overs he bowled turned out to be to be the final overs he would bowl in international cricket.
Lee returned home to Sydney this week and today, he announced his retirement from international cricket.
Ever since Lee donned the Australian colours in 1999, he started gaining the reputation of being fearsome, dangerous and one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket.
Regularly clocking at 150 kmph and above, Lee emerged as a sensation and went on to become his team's spearhead for most part of his illustrious career. One of the best phases of his career came in the 2003 World Cup, where he finished the tournament with 22 wickets.
Lee also became the first bowler to take a hat-trick in Twenty20 Internationals. He even has an ODI hat-trick to his name.
The stylish pacer was one of the swiftest wicket-takers, as is proved by his strike rate of 29, while keeping the run rate in check.
He was particularly a force to reckon with at the start of the match and it is fair to say that he was one of the most lethal bowlers in the Quick Start Overs.
With his pace, accuracy and ability to bowl beamers at will, he was considered to be one of the best pace bowlers for over a decade in limited overs cricket. His numbers speak for themselves.
In 221 ODIs, he has taken 380 scalps, just one short of Glenn McGrath's record for the highest number of wickets.
With an economy of 4.76 and an average of 23.36, he was undoubtedly one of the greats of the game. In T20Is, he had 28 wickets from 25 matches with a best of 3/23.
Earlier, Lee had retired from Test cricket a year ago in February 2010 but continued playing for Australia in one-day matches and in the Twenty20 format.
In his entire career of Test cricket Lee took a remarkable number of 310 wickets in 76 matches.
He will continue playing in the Big Bash and Indian Premier League.
Durham, most people expected it to be just another injury in the fast bowler's 13-year long career.
As one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket, the 35-year-old Australian pacer has been no stranger to injuries and has come back strongly every time he has been laid low.
But this time, it was not so. The calf muscle, he pulled up during his run-up turned out to be the last injury his body could take, and those 2.2 overs he bowled turned out to be to be the final overs he would bowl in international cricket.
Lee returned home to Sydney this week and today, he announced his retirement from international cricket.
Ever since Lee donned the Australian colours in 1999, he started gaining the reputation of being fearsome, dangerous and one of the fastest bowlers in world cricket.
Regularly clocking at 150 kmph and above, Lee emerged as a sensation and went on to become his team's spearhead for most part of his illustrious career. One of the best phases of his career came in the 2003 World Cup, where he finished the tournament with 22 wickets.
Lee also became the first bowler to take a hat-trick in Twenty20 Internationals. He even has an ODI hat-trick to his name.
The stylish pacer was one of the swiftest wicket-takers, as is proved by his strike rate of 29, while keeping the run rate in check.
He was particularly a force to reckon with at the start of the match and it is fair to say that he was one of the most lethal bowlers in the Quick Start Overs.
With his pace, accuracy and ability to bowl beamers at will, he was considered to be one of the best pace bowlers for over a decade in limited overs cricket. His numbers speak for themselves.
In 221 ODIs, he has taken 380 scalps, just one short of Glenn McGrath's record for the highest number of wickets.
With an economy of 4.76 and an average of 23.36, he was undoubtedly one of the greats of the game. In T20Is, he had 28 wickets from 25 matches with a best of 3/23.
Earlier, Lee had retired from Test cricket a year ago in February 2010 but continued playing for Australia in one-day matches and in the Twenty20 format.
In his entire career of Test cricket Lee took a remarkable number of 310 wickets in 76 matches.
He will continue playing in the Big Bash and Indian Premier League.
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