Mumbai: Amid talk of pacers' behaviour after the Ishant Sharma incident in Sri Lanka, former Australian speedster Brett Lee on Thursday said that "controlled aggression" is what he likes in a fast bowler.
When asked about Ishant's repeated verbal duels with opposition players in the third and final Test, which got the lanky pacer a one-match suspension and will not be available for the first game against South Africa, Lee said that players should never cross the line on a cricket field.
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"You don't want to turn the game into bunch of puppets who are running around just going through emotions. You need to have exiting players, characters. I don't know what happened (in Ishant's case), but there is a line in place you don't cross. I do like bowlers being controlled in their aggression. So having a bit of aggression in them is fine, but not too much," Lee, who is Cochlear's global brand ambassador, said at the sidelines of an event here.
Lee, who unveiled the Indian leg of the global initiative "Sounds of Cricket" to raise awareness about social, emotional and economic impact of hearing loss on individuals and families, also talked about India's need for fast pitches after South Africa amassed 438 runs in the final ODI in Mumbai to outplay the hosts by 214 runs and clinch the series 3-2.
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"With the Indian bowlers it’s a very tough wicket, it’s a tough place to bowl here. So put the onus back on the groundsman, let’s ask them to prepare wickets that are more conducive to fast bowling. Because 438 is too many runs in ODIs," the 38-year-old Australian told reporters.
Lee, who has bagged 310 Test wickets in his 13-year international career, also opined that it is always difficult for fast bowlers in any format of the game. The Australia bowler also had a word on Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli, saying that the young leader is completely different on and off the field.
