Studying Brett Lee's bowling action

Brett Lee announced his retirement from the game in January 2015

Brett Lee was undoubtedly one of the fastest bowlers in the history of cricket. His bowling action was very simple, smooth and effective at the same time. From the initial few small steps to the gradual build up of speed and the final release, it was all very rhythmic.

Brett Lee, a real speed demon

Bret Lee is a very interesting case study for a fast bowler. He was clearly one of the quickest guys ever to have played cricket. Also, he was able to sustain his pace over long periods of time, which made it doubly tough for the batsmen.

The Australian’s bouncer was also real quick and felled many batsmen during his career.

Here’s a video of a bouncer bowled by Lee to Brian Lara:

So, the question is what made him click? What was so good or different about his action which made him consistently bowl at above 90mph for the majority of his career?

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Analysing Brett Lee’s bowling action in detail

Initially when Lee began playing international cricket, he had a mixed bowling action, which means the lower half of his body was predominantly front-on, with the top half side-on while bowling. Very early into his career, he faced back issues due to this.

Later he changed his action and made it a completely front on bowling action. During an interview with Kevin Mitchell for The Observer in 2002, Brett Lee discussed in detail about his evolution as a fast bowler and the art of fast bowling in general.

About the modification in his bowling action, Lee commented: “The first thing I had to work out was whether to change the top half or the bottom half of my body action. After speaking to Dennis, I came to the conclusion that it is very hard to change the bottom half. That's your base. So I had to adjust above the waist.”

“I've moved my arm from having gone a long way across my chest, to make me look through that window, to shifting over to my left, so I'm almost fully front-on now. Not totally, because my back foot doesn't face straight down the wicket, more at 45 degrees.”

“My head and shoulders, though, are in one line. And, if I carry that action through the crease, I take a lot of stress off my whole back. And, touch wood, it's worked so far.”

Here’s a good look at Bret Lee’s bowling action circa 2007:

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Comparison with other fast bowlers across eras

There have been many other quick guys across generations who have hurtled the ball with incredible pace. These include guys like Jeff Thompson, Michael Holding, Shoaib Akhtar, Devon Malcolm, etc.

Each of these had their own unique bowling styles, ranging from side-on to front-on bowling action, and different release points for the ball. By studying their actions alone, it is difficult to find out any clues to having the perfect action to bowl fast.

However, the one common thing to all these speed demons was the smoothness and pure rhythm of their bowling actions. Also a mystique and animalistic charm which is unique to their trade.

Apart from this, they shared a deep-rooted desire and passion to bowl quick under all circumstances.

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Inspiration for youngsters to bowl quick

Lee once shared his thoughts about what it takes to excel at fast bowling, saying: “The secret of bowling fast? It's all about rhythm. And angles. And staying fit and getting your body to click.”

“There are certain things that will come naturally - your general coordination, for instance, and snapping your wrist at the point of delivery - and there are other things you can learn about and change.

“But, deep down, I think bowling fast is something you have to want to do with a passion because it's very hard work,” he added.

And as far as passion is concerned, Lee is up there with anyone in the long list of fast bowling giants world cricket has seen. He will continue to inspire generations of young bowlers around the world to bowl quick.

Hope some young Indian guys take notes from this. We badly need a Brett Lee or two!