Shane Lee – Blond ambition

Brother Brett may be the household name, but Shane Lee was a talented Australian all rounder in his own right. Excelling in his first one-day international, Lee was later dropped from the Australian team for more than two years, before reclaiming a spot in the 1999-2000 season alongside his younger brother. Now working for Sportingbet Australia, he recently caught up with SportingMail to discuss the upcoming summer of cricket and how the game is changing.

Is there anything you miss from your playing days?

I don’t miss the warm-ups! Look I think it’s just being part of a really close-knit team that travels a lot. But saying that, I retired at the right time. I don’t have any regrets.

What was the greatest moment of your cricket career?

There were probably three for me – my first game for Australia, playing with my brother Brett for the first time, and then when we won the 1999 World Cup at Lords. Seeing Ricky Ponting on Tom Moody’s shoulders in the middle of Lords singing the team song when the crowd had gone home, it was a pretty special moment.

How has the game changed since you were playing?

I think the equipment’s changed quite a bit. The bats are a lot bigger now but lighter so you can hit the ball a lot further. The rules haven’t changed much – it’s still a bowler and a batsman.

Shane Warne is predicting the end of the 50-over game, that Twenty20 and Tests are the future of cricket. What are your thoughts?

I think he’s right. You saw in the recent Ashes tour the scheduling was too tight. After the Tests they played a 50-over series and Twenty20 so the players are just getting belted.

So you agree with the players that playing schedules are too packed?

I think it’s a big issue. Now with pay TV as well, we’re seeing these matches all the time – a little too much to be honest. We’ve got to be careful about overexposure.

Who are your picks to be the best-performed Australian batter and bowler this summer?

I think Simon Katich is a player on the rise. Hopefully Brett can get back in the team with the ball – I still think he’s got another two years in his body. A guy I think they’ve overlooked a bit is [Jason] Krejza. I think he’s the best spinner in the country so I think they should give him another go.

Who are your picks for players to watch from the touring sides?

I think out of the West Indians, Chris Gayle, he absolutely smashed us in the Twenty20 match over there. He’s a real dynamic player, and [Dwayne] Bravo also. From Pakistan, Shahid Afridi – he’s probably more suited to the one-day version of the game.

The Australian team is no longer the unbeatable force it once was. How do you think it will fare over the summer and the next couple of years? What will be its biggest tests?

After losing the Ashes, I think we have to look at the captaincy. Three of the last four series Ricky’s captained we’ve lost. No doubt he’s our second-greatest batsman of all time but as a captain I don’t think he’s our most successful. That’s where I reckon someone like Katich will come in. I wouldn’t go with Michael Clarke. As for other challenges, we need a spinner. We need someone to replace Warnie.

Warnie was in the papers not long ago criticising the standard of umpiring. They’re bringing in all these rules and relying on the broadcasters to bring in the technology. I think they should get rid of the third umpire altogether until they get the right technology to support it. Until they can say in black and white, that’s out or it’s not out, leave it to the two guys in the middle.

Who do you think will make the Australian team in the next year?

I think Phillip Hughes has been hard done by, but I think Phil Jaques and Jason Krejza will break back into the team this summer. And I pick Callum Ferguson to make the Test team.

David Warner is a big Twenty20 star. What about his future?

The guy’s got talent, but he’s a long way off Test cricket.