It was earlier reported that Bumrah was feeling discomfort on his back. While there is no official confirmation from the medical team of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), former Australian pacer-turned-commentator Brett Lee believes this can be a long term issue.

“I think it will be something long-term,” Lee said on air via Fox Cricket.

India came to defend a small target. Earlier, when Day 2’s play came to an end, Prasidh Krishna had stated that Bumrah was facing some discomfort on his back and the medical team is monitoring him.

“Bumrah had a back spasm. He went for scans. The medical team is monitoring him and we will know when the results arrive,” Krishna said.

This injury of Bumrah can come out as a major blow to the Indian team, considering the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is right around the corner. Before the ICC event, he was also set to feature in an ODI series against England at home grounds.

The post Brett Lee gives update on Jasprit Bumrah’s injury in Sydney Test: Not what Prasidh Krishna said appeared first on Cricket Country.

Kohli is a player who has the light on him for most of the time because of his form in the longest format of the game. He has scored 250 runs in Tests this year. However, Brett Lee supported Kohli before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.

“He’s got an Australian mentality, a never-say-die attitude. He doesn’t mind getting into a scrap. He doesn’t mind having a crack. There has been a lot of conjecture around his form recently, but I’m not worried about that. I know with Kohli, he’s got the experience underneath his belt,” Lee told FoxCricket. 

“He may have only got 90 runs in the three-test series against the Kiwis, but who cares? When he comes out here, he has a great record in Australia,” Lee added.

Brett Lee also stated that Kohli will be looking forward to perform against Australia. He compared the challenge of facing Kohli to his own experience of bowling to Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar, which highlights the intensity that these matches bring.

“There has been a lot of speculation and conjecture around Kohli’s form, and I can promise you that when he gets out here, he will be raring to go, because he is a superstar,” Lee said. 

“It is an old cliche where you don’t want to try to play against the name. You try to treat him, with all due respect, as (another) batsman. And it was the same when I was bowling against Sachin Tendulkar. You can get overawed by the stature of the guy and the history and what he has achieved, but the thing with Kohli is that he loves to get into a scrap,” he concluded.

India Squad for Perth Test:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant(w), Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Reddy, Ravichandran Ashwin, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah(c), Mohammed Siraj, Sarfaraz Khan, Prasidh Krishna, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Washington Sundar, Abhimanyu Easwaran

The post Legendary Australian pacer passes massive judgement on Virat Kohli before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 appeared first on Cricket Country.

While he may be going through a rough patch currently, Lee fears that Kohli will get even more fired up for the Border-Gavaskar series after hearing Ponting’s comments about his form.

“That is a bad move, Ricky. What are you doing? You are going to fire that guy up. He is a world-class player and he will fire up out here,” Lee said on Fox Cricket’s podcast The Follow On.

Earlier, Ponting made headlines after giving his remarks on Kohli’s recent slump in form. The former Australia skipper said that the Indian batter only managing to score 2 Test centuries in last 5 years is a matter of concern for the Men in Blue.

“I saw a stat the other day about Virat – it said he’s only scored two Test hundreds in the last five years. That didn’t seem right to me, but if that is accurate, then that’s, I mean, that’s a concern,” Ponting said.

“There probably wouldn’t be anyone else still playing international cricket as a top-order batsman who’s only scored two Test match hundreds in five years,” Ponting added.

The post Australia great reacts to Ricky Ponting’s remark on Virat Kohli, labels it as ‘bad move’ ahead of BGT appeared first on Cricket Country.

Lee believes that both Rohit and Virat should take a step back and improve their techniques ahead of the upcoming 5-match series against Australia. He also said that poor batting performances can lead to the pressure mounting on the Indian duo.

“When you have a couple of bad runs back-to-back, that’s when the pressure could set in. I guess the thing now is someone like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma just have to go back to the drawing board. Work on that technique, freshen up, get away from cricket as much as they can and then hit the ground running when they go to Australia, because I can promise you – these Australian fast bowlers will attack Rohit Sharma with that brand new ball,” Lee said on his YouTube channel.

So far in 2024, both Rohit and Virat have struggled to find their best form, attracting scrutiny following India’s recent 0-3 series loss against New Zealand.

On one hand, Rohit has accumulated 588 runs in 11 Test matches so far this year, averaging 29.40 with 2 centuries and fifties each, while on the other, Virat has only managed to score 250 runs from 6 matches, averaging 22.72 with one half-century.

The post “Can promise you…”: Australia great warns Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli ahead of Border-Gavaskar series appeared first on Cricket Country.

This was the 71st time the Baggy Greens made the Men in Green taste defeat in the format, which is the joint-most by any team. In one-day cricket, West Indies have also defeated Pakistan on 71 occasions, however Australia have managed to do so in 28 less matches.

Australia’s 71 wins have come in 109 matches, while managed to get 71 wins in 137 games. Sri Lanka have the third-highest wins over Pakistan with a tally of 59 in 157 matches.

This wasn’t the only record that Australia broke during the match as their left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc became the fastest Australian player to take 100 ODI wickets surpassing legendary pacer Brett Lee.

Starc delivered a performance with the ball that lived up to his reputation. He picked up 3 wickets while giving away 33 runs in his 10-over spell. The pacer dismissed both Pakistan openers Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub before dismissing tail-ender Shaheen Afridi to bag his third wicket.

The post Australia break MASSIVE ODI record with victory over Pakistan in Melbourne appeared first on Cricket Country.

1. Shoaib Akhtar (161.3 kmph)

Former Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar leads the list of fastest deliveries and is sometimes touted as the fastest bowler in cricket history. Akhtar, sometimes referred to as the “Rawalpindi Express,” could regularly bowl at over 155 kmph. In the 2003 World Cup versus England, he broke the speed record with a speed of 161.3 kmph.

2. Brett Lee (161.1 kmph)

Australia dominated the 2000s, and one of their best fast bowlers, Brett Lee, was essential to their success. He is the second fastest deliveries list with a time of 161.1 kmph against New Zealand in Napier in 2005. He won the ODI World Cup in both 2003 and 2007.

3. Shaun Tait (160.7 kmph)

Shaun Tait, a former Australian bowler, is third in the world for quickest deliveries despite having little success in international cricket. Tait, who is well-known for his extra-fast bowling and clinging action, clocked 160.7 kmph in a 2010 Twenty20 International match against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

4. Mitchell Starc (160.4 kmph)

Leading fast bowler Mitchell Starc, an Australian, has been a significant player in contemporary cricket. Known for his left-arm pace, Starc cemented his status as one of the quickest bowlers in history in a 2015 Test match against New Zealand at the WACA, when he achieved a speed of 160.4 kmph.

5. Jeffrey Thomson (160.4 kmph)

Jeffery Thomson, renowned for his lightning-fast deliveries, was a formidable force in cricket and a nightmare for batters during his peak. Affectionately nicknamed “Thommo” by his teammates, he ranks fifth in the list of fastest deliveries. His 160.4 kmph delivery against West Indies in Perth in 1975 remains legendary.

The post Thunderbolts: Ranking the Top 5 Fastest Balls in International Cricket appeared first on Cricket Country.

1. Waqar Younis (Pakistan) – 13

The Pakistan pacer is one of if not the best bowler to ever play for Pakistan. With a total of 416 scalps under his name in the ODI format which includes 13 five wicket hauls, Waqar was nothing short of a once-in-a-generation bowler.

2. Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka) – 10

The Sri Lankan spinner is one of the finest bowlers to ever grace the game. With a total of 534 wickets in the format, Muralitharan is also the highest wicket-taker in one-day cricket.

3. Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) – 9

The Pakistan all-rounder was both an incredible batter as well as an amazing bowler who was especially brilliant in the ODI format. With a total of 395 wickets in the format, Afridi was one of the best spinners of his era.

4. Brett Lee (Australia) – 9

With a total of 380 wickets under his name including 9 five-wicket hauls in the ODI format, Lee is one of the best pacers of his era. The Aussie used to bowl at an incredible pace which made him a lethal and devastating bowler.

5. Mitchell Starc (Australia) – 9

The pacer has been an integral part of the Australian lineup in all formats for over a decade now. With a total of 236 wickets in the ODI format which includes 9 fave-wicket hauls, Starc has been the best pacer in his side for quite some time now.

The post Bowlers with the most 5-wicket hauls in one-day cricket appeared first on Cricket Country.

5. Mitchell Starc – 160.4 km/hr

Mitchell Starc is part of the elite list of left-arm bowlers to have played the game at the highest level. The Australian pacer was the highest wicket-taker in two consecutive 50-over World Cups in 2015 and 2019. The speedster bowled his fastest delivery at 160.4 km/hr in a Test match against New Zealand at Perth and is in the fastest ball in cricket history list.

The 31-year old has picked 255 Test wickets and 184 ODI wickets in his career so far. Despite witnessing a dip in his recent performances, Starc happens to be one of Australia’s premier pacers in the Test format if not the best fast bowler in the world.

4.  Jeffrey Thomson – 160.6 km/hr

Jeff Thomson was a dreadful sight for any batter during his prime and featured among the toppers in the world fastest bowler ranking. The former Australian made life miserable for most batters during his tenure as an Australian cricketer. He instilled fear in the minds of the opposition with his sheer pace coupled with enormous consistency and is still in the list of fastest ball bowled in cricket.

Thomson delivered his fastest delivery at a speed of 160.6 km/hr against the West Indies at Perth in 1975. Partnering with Dennis Lillee, Thomson would make for the most fearsome fast-bowling duo during the 1974-75 season. He took 200 Test wickets and 55 ODI wickets between 1972 to 1985.

3. Shaun Tait – 161.1 km/hr

Known for his erratic bowling, Shaun Tait didn’t witness enough success at the international level for Australia. However, he was one of the quickest bowlers during the 2010s. He could only play three Tests and 35 ODIs for Australia between 2004 and 2016. His slinging action made it look so easy for him but bowling consistently above 150 clicks had now become his forte. He bowled his fastest delivery against England.

This particular ball was delivered at a speed of 161.1 km/hr. The right-arm pacer even breached the 100mph barrier against Pakistan in a T20I game at Melbourne later in his career and went up in the list of fastest ball bowled in cricket. Despite a short career, Shaun Tait will always be regarded as one of the fastest bowlers in cricket history.

2.Brett Lee – 161.1 km/hr

Brett Lee was the fastest Australian bowler in history and the second-fastest bowler of all time and has the highest speed bowling in cricket among Australians.

The New South Wales player had a formidable Australian line-up during the early 2000s. He was a regular feature along with the likes of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. Apart from his accuracy, his menacing pace troubled most batters against him. He crossed the 100 miles barrier to deliver his fastest delivery at 161.1 km/hr against New Zealand in 2005 at Napier.

1.Shoaib Akhtar – 161.3 km/hr

Shoaib Akhtar, also referred to as the “Rawalpindi Express,” is the quickest bowler in the history of cricket and currently holds the record for bowling fastest pace. He had a unique runup in which he would frequently run from the boundary line and bowl the ball. With the aid of his slinging movement and his muscular frame, which greatly complemented his natural velocity and bounce, Shoaib Akhtar became the fastest bowler in history.

During the 2003 Cricket World Cup, Pakistan’s right-arm bowler bowled the fastest delivery in international cricket history. Akhar, who has always loved bowling quickly, had a time of 161.3 km/h in a match against England in Capetown, South Africa. He became the first cricket player in history to breach the 100 with this delivery.

The history of cricket is rich with tales of fast bowlers who have enthralled fans and left an enduring legacy with their blistering pace. From Shoaib Akhtar’s thunderous deliveries to Mitchell Starc’s lethal yorkers, these bowlers have etched their names in cricketing folklore as the guardians of speed and aggression on the pitch.

The post Speed Demons: The Top 5 Fastest Bowlers in Cricket’s Rich History appeared first on Cricket Country.

Ahead of Gambhir’s debut tour, former Australian pacer Brett Lee who was his teammate in IPL franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders shared his views on the appointment of the former Indian batsman as head coach. Lee pointed out that Gambhir will bring an aggressive and winning mindset to the Indian team.

“He’s (Gautam Gambhir) done a terrific job every time he’s had an opportunity. The Indian Premier League title with KKR is the best example. He’s always been there, always at the top of his game. He finds a way to unite his players and graft his team together. He builds a solid structure. He has been a terrific player, and his aggression and winning attitude will help India. He has shone internationally as a player. India is in safe hands with Gautam Gambhir as coach,” Lee said.

The post “India is in safe hands”: Brett Lee’s statement on Gautam Gambhir appeared first on Cricket Country.

1) Brett Lee (2007)

The first T20 hat-trick was taken by Australian player Brett Lee when they were playing against Bangladesh. Lee took out Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah, and Alok Kapali.

2) Curtis Campher

Ireland all-rounder Curtis Campher picked up a T20 World Cup hat-trick against the Netherlands on October 18, 2021

3) Wanindu Hasaranga

Sri Lanka’s Wanindu Hasaranga picked up a hat-trick against South Africa during the 2021 T20 World Cup played in Sharjah on October 30.

4) Kagiso Rabada

South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada completed his hat-trick during the last over of the T20 2021 World Cup match played against England.

5) Karthik Meiyappan

UAE spinner Karthik Meiyappan took a hat-trick against Sri Lanka during the 2022 T20 World Cup match on October 18,2022.

6) Joshua Little

Joshua Little picked up a hat-trick against the Kiwis during the 2022 T20 World Cup between Ireland and New Zealand on November 4.

7) Pat Cummins

Pat Cummins picked up a hat-trick for Australia in the T20 World Cup 2024 match against Bangladesh on June 21,

The post Hat-tricks in T20 World Cups appeared first on Cricket Country.