There was a time, not too far back, where the advent of the 100mph ball thrown in by Shoaib Akhtar turned heads and made some huge headlines. The world of cricket could see another brilliant Pakistani fast bowler emerging.

At the same time, a young Australian prospect was waiting in the cage for his chance. There were whispers about Australia having someone who could throw down similar pace who would soon emerge into the limelight as the ageing Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie wound down their careers and prepared to make way for new young blood.

The all-conquering cricket played by Australia over the last decade has made it tough for the very best young performers in the Sheffield Shield to break through. They have always had to wait until someone gets injured or suffers a loss of form. The high standards of Aussie cricket are justified as they have produced potential Hall of Fame cricketers in the recent past who are still part of the team.

One of them, Brett Lee, has developed into definitely one of the best and most feared pace bowlers of the modern era. He started out trying to bowl as fast as he could and he did break the 100mph barrier early in his career, but was quick to realise that to have a long career and remain a front-line bowler for the world champions, he needed a wider arsenal.

Pace is just one of the many elements that a fast bowler needs. That is where he became a different bowler to Shoaib, who pretty much relied on sheer pace. Lee took full advantage of stalwarts around him like McGrath and Gillespie and he learned mind games from the best in the art, Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting.

Over the years he has developed into a great bowler, with a 90-95mph average and excellent discipline. Add to that the variety of slower deliveries and mixing up of short-pitched and full-pitched yorkers. In the right conditions he can reverse swing the ball as well. He is a great talent and definitely a great find by the Aussies. They have nurtured and taken care of him well and he has flourished as a result.