718 wickets and raw pace: Brett Lee enters Australian Cricket Hall of Fame

Melbourne : Australian fast-bowling icon Brett Lee has been named the newest member of the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, according to an announcement by Cricket Australia (CA) on Saturday evening.

Lee, 49, becomes part of an elite fraternity that includes more than 60 members since the hall's founding in 1996. He joins the ranks of fellow legends such as Sir Donald Bradman, Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Dennis Lillee, the Chappell brothers, Steve Waugh, and Michael Hussey.

In a tribute posted to its official X account, Cricket Australia described the speedster as "a proven winner, a tearaway with ball in hand and true entertainer across all formats of the game."

Throughout an international career spanning 1999 to 2012, Lee established himself as one of the most prolific and intimidating bowlers in the sport's history. In 76 Test matches, he claimed 310 wickets at an average of 30.81, the eighth-highest tally for an Australian, recording ten five-wicket hauls. His impact was even more pronounced in One Day Internationals (ODIs), where he took 380 wickets in 221 appearances at a 23.36 average, trailing only Glenn McGrath on Australia's all-time list. In the shortest format, he took 28 wickets in 25 T20 Internationals.

In total, Lee amassed 718 international wickets across 322 matches at an average of 26.66. Beyond his bowling, he was a valuable lower-order batsman, tallying 2,728 runs with eight half-centuries.

Lee’s era was defined by collective success; he was a vital part of the squads that won the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup and the ICC Champions Trophy titles in both 2006 and 2009.

With inputs from ANI