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Brett Lee
5. Brett Lee (Australia)
For most of the early 21st century, the former Australian spearhead was second only to Pakistani speed demon Shoaib Akhtar in terms of sheer pace ; the two were notable for being the fastest bowlers in contemporary cricket. He regularly touched speeds of 150 km/hr, but the strain of bowling at those rates consistently caused him to suffer stress fractures of the back – the kind of injuries that had almost halted former Australian great Dennis Lillee’s career in 1973.
He altered his bowling strategy and re-emerged as a speedster who would still touch 150 km/hr, but relied more on variations in pace – including a mix of slower balls, bouncers and full-length deliveries. Officially, he has come close to the 100 mph barrier once during a game against New Zealand in 2005; although he had broken the mark with a 161.8 km/hr delivery against the West Indies in 2001-02 (unrecognized by the ICC).
Injuries, a suspect bowling action and personal turmoil forced the jovial pacer to announce his retirement from international cricket in 2012. He continues to ply his trade as player and bowling mentor for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, and has also served as a cricket commentator for Channel Nine.
