‘I bowled at around 165 kmph and he just smacked me for a four’ – Brett Lee recalls his face-off with Sachin Tendulkar

Brett Lee, the former Australian fast bowler, went down the memory lane and talked about his jaw-dropping duel with Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar. Lee, one of the fastest bowlers of his generation, said that he had dismissed the legendary Indian batter quite a few times, but Tendulkar, instead of bogging down, returned the favour by hitting the pacer for fours.

Lee recalled a game from the 2008 CB series game where the Aussies were defending a mere 159 runs from their 50 overs. In that game, Sachin laid into Lee, hitting him for three fours on the trot with utmost ease and sheer authority.

It was an off-drive for four, says Brett Lee

“There were a couple of occasions where I got Sachin out. But there’s also a game in Sydney, where I bowled at around 165 kmph and he just smacked me for a four. It was an off-drive for four. I was like ‘Wow! This guy is an absolute legend’,” Lee was quoted as saying on mid-day.

Despite the on-field competitiveness, Lee and Tendulkar shared a healthy camaraderie. The 44-year-old speedster said that the duo shared mutual respect.

“When I was touring India, I was asked by Sachin Tendulkar to join him for dinner. We went go-karting after that. Those little things might not have meant as much to him as they did to me. I was a guy coming through, getting to know him better. I’m so lucky that we both got to form an amazing friendship. We respected each other too which was important,” he added.

In his career for Australia, that lasted 13 years from 1999 to 2012, Lee picked up 310, 380 and 28 wickets from 76 Tests, 221 ODIs and 25 T20Is respectively. Back in the year 2012, Lee announced his retirement from international cricket. He hung his boots from all forms after the 2014-15 BBL.

As far as Sachin is concerned, his career graph only went up with the progression of his career. He was the first batter to amass 100 centuries in international cricket. He bid adieu to playing for India in late 2013, and yet a number of his records remain unscathed.