Pat Cummins is another massively-talented young Australian and I see a bright future ahead of him, says Brett Lee © Getty Images
By Brett Lee
Australia is going through a new era now where they have a lot of change happening. In the not so recent past, there has been change in captaincy with Michael Clarke taking over from Ricky Ponting. There has been change with retirements and a lot of new players coming in. But I think that this is the best time for the young guys to stand up and assert their grip on the game. It is very important that the younger players deliver and take the team forward.
Coming more specifically to the bowling attack, I am happy to see that the bowlers coming in have a lot of talent and potential to make it to the top. In the last series against England, we saw a few good performances from the Australian bowlers. Clint McKay raked up 57 points on the Castrol Index in the fourth ODI while Ben Hilfenhaus had 33 points in the fifth. These are positive signs for Australia. I have told the young guys coming through that I am always available 24x7. If they need me, they can call me or chat with me and I will make myself available. It will be good to see the young and upcoming bowlers make a mark.
Mitchell Johnson is a talented bowler and has done well for the team over the past few years. He is probably the most experienced Australian bowler right now and has a lot to offer. Pat Cummins is another massively- talented young Australian and I see a bright future ahead of him. He may have a few injuries, but once he overcomes it all, he is going to be a legend. James Pattinson is also very talented and has done well for Australia whenever he has got the chance. I think he will be a great bowler in the future. Hilfenhaus is another solid bowler and his inclusion adds a lot of variety to the attack. He has got great swing bowling action and will be good in bouncy conditions. McKay and Mitchell Starc are great prospects as well and, given time, will develop into great bowlers for Australia.
Nowadays, guys cannot be batsmen or bowlers alone; they have to play two roles and sometimes almost three roles. Bowlers need to be able to bat at No. 8, 9, 10 or even 11 so it is very, very important that a player is able to do well in all three aspects of the game. That’s where the Castrol Index comes handy as it measures the performances of teams and individuals in all three disciplines of the game and assigns Team and Player points based on that.
(Brett Lee is one of the fastest bowlers in cricket history. He took 310 wickets in Tests and 380 in ODIs. The Australia legend, who plays for Kolkata Knight Riders, has a deep love for India and Indians. The above article was written by Lee for Castrol, for who is the Brand Ambassador. For more, visit castrolcricket.com. Castrol Cricket is the official performance partner of the International Cricket Council and is a sponsor of the 2012 ICC World Twenty20)
