Lee backs away from Thomson sledge before one-day series

BRISBANE, AUGUST 10: Australian tearaway Brett Lee has refused to react to jibes from his former idol Jeff Thomson in the race to become c...

BRISBANE, AUGUST 10: Australian tearaway Brett Lee has refused to react to jibes from his former idol Jeff Thomson in the race to become cricket’s quickest bowler. Lee said overtaking Thomson’s mark of 160 kilometers per hour (100 mph) wasn’t his priority in his second international season, which begins with next week’s one-day series against South Africa in Melbourne.

Lee has become the latest threat to Thomson’s speed record, clocking 157 kmph against South Africa during his outstanding debut season for Australia.

But Thomson, who turns 50 next

week, has rubbished the speed battle between Lee and Pakistan strike bowler Shoaib Akhtar, insisting he bowled much quicker than the official 160 kph reading in 1975-76. "I bowled a lot quicker than that," Thomson told Inside Edge magazine in their latest issue.

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"No way known are they as quick. All the hype that goes around about it just makes you laugh. Dennis Lillee, Lennie Pascoe, Michael Holding and myself used to bowl that fast every ball. Every now and then they might get close, but the rest is rat power."

Lee has read Thomson’s quotes but he was reluctant to talk about them as he prepared Thursday for Friday’s warm-up match against a Queensland XI here. The 23-year-old, who was named Wisden’s Young Cricketer of the Year, admitted Thomson was among his childhood idols and said his only goal was to take wickets. "Who knows what it might mean if I break 160 kmph, but it’s certainly not at the top of my priorities right now," Lee said Thursday.

"It doesn’t faze me all that much. I try and work on line and length and, if you take wickets, it doesn’t matter if you bowl 130, 140 or 150 kilometres an hour. Thommo has been a huge idol of mine growing up and I still think he and DK (Lillee) were probably the best opening partnership Australia has seen."

Lee worked with Lillee last week as he prepared for the series against South Africa, which begins at Colonial Stadium next Wednesday. The right-armer rated himself fully fit after an off-season which included ankle surgery and a battle against claims he bowled with a suspect action. Lee won that battle and he intends to overcome another hurdle — the potential threat of second-season blues.

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He has plenty to live up to after taking 31 wickets in just five Tests but Lee said he wasn’t looking too far ahead. "I’m just trying to do the same thing I’ve done over the last year and I’m not going to change anything," Lee said.

"I just try to back myself and prepare the best I can. All I want to do is maintain a spot in the Australian team. I don’t set big goals, I just want to do well in the next game and that happens to be against Queensland tomorrow."