Brett Lee-ing all the way..

I don't know why he's nick named Bing; he doesn't resemble his namesake Chandler Bing even an inch. Not by his features and definitely not by his antics. But Brett "the threat" Lee's definitely a show stealer, much akin to the popular soap Friends character.

Though this year's Allan Border medal had quite a few phenomenal candidates as always, but perhaps no one deserved it more than Lee, who's taken the mantle of leading Australia's attack with utmost ease from his ever so glorious predecessors. McGrath and Warne formed the lynchpin of this champion side but once they left, there were question marks all over the place over who's going to carry them forward. Brett Lee's been there for almost a decade now, but what we've seen from him in the last couple of seasons has been nothing short of exemplary. Ask Ricky Ponting, and he'll let you know that the first name that comes into his mind whenever they need wickets is just one. The most brilliant part is that he delivers.. and does so invariably.

70 wickets in the last year, he's not given an inch whether it comes to the longer or the shorter format of the game. He has perhaps never been so consistent and he knows it. There have been times when others have been pretty ordinary and there's a tendency of the senior pro to be reduced to a workhorse. Rest assured, when it comes to BL, all you can expect is 90 odd miles an hour boomerangs being delivered and some twitchy nerves among the guys facing him. Talk about being right on the money.

When he first emerged onto the scene in the Boxing Day Test against the Indians in 1999, there was this guy who had some serious pace, but with a doubtable action and nervy temper. Though he bagged a fiver in his first match, but troubles with his action and fitness never really let him take off the way he would have liked. But champions never really 'say die' and his second transformation has been an absolute revelation. He uses his artillery much more wisely and is not just about throttling half trackers at the tail enders. Pit him against a Sachin Tendulkar and you won't probably find a bowler who can bowl better.

He wasn't known to be shy of hurtling beamers on the batsmen when things weren't going well, but in the past few years, he's perhaps gained the honor of being the most well behaved Aussie on the field. Perhaps both the sides need to take a cue from their mate, who knows exactly how to mix aggression and the game without creating a lump. Temper's fittingly taken the backseat and now we see a player who thoroughly enjoys the game even when the chips are down.

Admirable, Athletic, Super Fit and Exciting.. This package has definitely all the ingredients to be amongst the best.