Brett Lee excited by Australia and India's young bowlers

Last updated on Sunday, 17 January, 2016, 07:00 AM

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"Sran looks like a really good bowler. He's got a nice action, he's a tall-left-armer, decent pace," Lee said. © Getty

As much as this series has been about benign pitches, record chases and the Decision Review System (DRS), there has been a lot of interest around how the young pace bowlers in the teams would perform.

India brought in Barinder Sran and Rishi Dhawan for this series, while the Australians welcomed Scott Boland and Joel Paris into their squad for the five-match One-Day International (ODI) series. Rishi Dhawan is the only player to have not gotten a chance to represent his country yet, but the three others have played both games, with varying degrees of success.

Sran, a left-arm pacer from Punjab, has been the most successful amongst the three with three wickets on debut. Joel Paris and Scott Boland got off their marks with a wicket each in the second game. Paris is a slingy left-arm pacer from Western Australia and has captured fans with some impressive performances in domestic cricket at a young age, while Boland, the 27-year-old right-armer from Victoria, is a renowned death-bowling expert in the country. 

Having seen the trio put in performances in their first two ODIs, Brett Lee, the former Australian fast-bowler, said he has been impressed by them. Despite playing on batsmen-friendly wickets, Lee said the youngsters have done well for themselves, even though their figures don't reflect it.

Speaking to cricbuzz in Brisbane, Lee said: "I've really enjoyed what we've seen -- Boland, Paris and Sran. I've liked all three. They all offer something different.

"Sran looks like a really good bowler. He's got a nice action, he's a tall-left-armer, decent pace... he's still not that express pace yet, but he's still only 23. That (pace) will come as he gets naturally bigger, naturally fitter through his body. Getting a bit more bowling under is belt will help," Lee said.

The former fast-bowler, who has more than 700 international wickets, said Paris is an exciting young prospect in Australian cricket.

"With Paris, also a left-armer, he's got a lot to offer to Australian cricket. Once again, around the same pace as Sran. I think he has a really nice seam position, too. Nice for him to get his first wicket (in the 2nd ODI). Even though it probably would have been nice to get it in a different fashion, but he's still got the wicket.

"And then Boland. I don't think he's bowled that badly. The scoreboard doesn't really reflect the way he's bowled. He's bowled well. He's missed his length on a couple of occasions but he's got a tough role. He's asked to bowl up front and at the death when you've got world-class batsmen. These guys will learn from it. I've been impressed with the way they play," he added.

Lee, who is currently working as a TV commentator with Channel 9, said Sran building up his pace will not be an easy thing to do. Sran currently bowls in the 130-135 kmph category, but has the build and action to bowl much faster.

"It's not easy to do. If it was easy to do, everyone would be bowling at 150km an hour. That comes with experience, confidence, knowing his body, and getting naturally stronger. It doesn't mean going in the gym. I've always said, 'Stay out of the gym'. A little bit of gym work is okay but not too much. Getting naturally fitter... getting the miles in the legs from bowling in the nets. All that time bowling, bowling, bowling will naturally increase his pace."

Lee also spoke about Umesh Yadav, who has been in and out of the Indian team due to injuries, saying he would like to see the bowler recover fully from injury and bowl at full tilt.

"He's had a shoulder issue for a year or two now. He's been struggling for twelve months with his shoulder. I hope he gets back. He's such a great bowler when he's in action because he's got good pace. He hits over 140 easily, he can hit 145. He's got good pace, so I hope he comes back to India to play and bowl with the pace he can. He's bowling fine, he just needs to get that zip back," Lee said.

Having played as many as 49 games against the Indians and in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Lee is no newbie to the India-Australia rivalry. He said, though there is a healthy rivalry between the teams, the players mingle together after the games and that the IPL is healthy for cricket.

"I've always been a fan of playing against India. We have got that rivalry, but always off the field, the guys mingle together. A lot of fun. They play the hard tough cricket on the field, and off it they're all good mates. And now I think, the Indian Premier League's helped with that. I think the IPL, you wouldn't see two players playing in the same team as what we've seen over the past few years, so it's healthy for cricket."