Brett Lee’s Legendary Pace Secures Spot in Australian Cricket Hall of Fame

Former fast bowler Brett Lee has been honored by being inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame, as announced by Cricket Australia on Sunday. Lee becomes the 62nd player to receive this prestigious recognition, joining a roster of legendary Australian cricketers.

Nicknamed ‘Binga’, Lee made an impressive start to his international career by taking a five-wicket haul on his debut in the Boxing Day Test against India in Melbourne in 1999. Over his career, he played 76 Tests, securing 310 wickets, ranking as the eighth-highest wicket-taker for Australia in Test cricket.

Renowned for his lethal yorkers and trademark ‘chainsaw’ celebration, Lee was a dominant force in limited-overs cricket. He shares the record as Australia’s leading wicket-taker in ODIs with Glenn McGrath, taking 380 wickets in 221 matches. During the 2003 ODI World Cup, Lee’s performance was pivotal as he claimed 22 wickets, the second-most in the tournament, including a hat-trick against Kenya.

Lee’s ability to bowl at speeds consistently above 150 km/h, and occasionally reaching 160 km/h, posed a significant challenge to batsmen worldwide from 1999 to 2012. Reflecting on his career, Lee stated that reaching the 160 km/h milestone meant more to him than any wicket, acknowledging his long-held ambition to break that speed barrier.

He achieved speeds of over 160 km/h twice in his career, first at the 2003 World Cup by bowling a 160.1 km/h delivery to dismiss Marvan Atapattu of Sri Lanka in the semifinals. He recorded his fastest delivery, 160.8 km/h, against New Zealand in March 2005.

Lee was also the first player to achieve a hat-trick in T20 Internationals, against Bangladesh during the 2007 T20 World Cup. Though he played only 25 T20I matches, he continued his T20 career in leagues such as the Big Bash League and the Indian Premier League until 2015.

In 2006, Lee was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year and he won the Allan Border Medal two years later. Despite his success, Lee faced numerous injury challenges due to the physical demands of his fast bowling.

Lee acknowledges the impact of Dennis Lillee, a legendary Australian pacer, on his career. After initially disregarding Lillee’s advice about his bowling technique, Lee faced a severe back injury. With Cricket Australia’s support, Lillee mentored Lee in Perth, helping him adjust his technique and extend his career.

During his induction speech, Lee humorously mentioned that former teammate Ricky Ponting joked he needed physiotherapy after each ball to check his bowling speed. Lee credits Lillee’s guidance for his sustained career achievements.

Here’s the complete list of players inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame:

– 1996: Fred Spofforth, John Blackham, Victor Trumper, Clarrie Grimmett, Bill Ponsford, Sir Donald Bradman, Bill O’Reilly, Keith Miller, Ray Lindwall, Dennis Lillee
– 2000: Warwick Armstrong, Neil Harvey, Allan Border
– 2001: Bill Woodfull, Arthur Morris
– 2002: Stan McCabe, Greg Chappell
– 2003: Lindsay Hassett, Ian Chappell
– 2004: Hugh Trumble, Alan Davidson
– 2005: Clem Hill, Rod Marsh
– 2006: Monty Noble, Bob Simpson
– 2007: Charles Macartney, Richie Benaud
– 2008: George Giffen, Ian Healy
– 2009: Steve Waugh
– 2010: Bill Lawry, Graham McKenzie
– 2011: Mark Taylor, Doug Walters
– 2012: Shane Warne
– 2013: Charlie Turner, Glenn McGrath
– 2014: Mark Waugh, Belinda Clark
– 2015: Adam Gilchrist, Jack Ryder
– 2016: Jeff Thomson, Wally Grout
– 2017: David Boon, Matthew Hayden, Betty Wilson
– 2018: Norm O’Neill, Ricky Ponting, Karen Rolton
– 2019: Cathryn Fitzpatrick, Dean Jones, Billy Murdoch
– 2020: Sharon Tredrea, Craig McDermott
– 2021: Johnny Mullagh (Unaarrimin), Merv Hughes, Lisa Sthalekar
– 2022: Justin Langer, Raelee Thompson
– 2023: Marg Jennings, Ian Redpath
– 2024: Michael Hussey, Lyn Larsen
– 2025: Michael Clarke, Christina Matthews, Michael Bevan
– 2026: Brett Lee

Published on December 28, 2025.