By IANS
New Delhi : Australia’s tearaway fast bowler Brett Lee Tuesday lauded Indian medium pacer Zaheer Khan, who was adjudged the Man of the Series after the Test matches in England.
“I am very impressed with his (Zaheer’s) determination. He has tremendous control over the ball and it looks he has worked very hard after being on the sidelines for some time,” said Lee, who is in the capital to launch a new range of watches for Timex as the company’s brand ambassador.
“But ultimately it’s all about putting the ball in the right areas and he has been doing it consistently. Considering that he was not even in the team till some months ago, his comeback is just great.”
Australia will be touring India from next month to play seven one-day internationals and Lee said Zaheer, who picked up 16 wickets in the Test series against England, would be a threat for them.
“We have been watching him very closely and I must say that he has done amazingly well in England. In fact we are doing a bit of research on him,” admitted Lee.
The countdown for the Twenty20 World Championship in September has already begun and the Australian said World Cup champions are ready for the tournament.
“It is an amazing game … very entertaining. I feel Twenty20 is serious cricket and we have been preparing hard for the tournament. We are not an experienced side in the Twenty20 format as compared to South Africa and England but we are learning fast,” said Lee, who missed the World Cup in the Caribbean because of injury.
“We have been trying to learn the game as quickly as possible. The side that does not adapt quickly makes mistake. So we are trying to understand the game,” he said.
Lee said that the World Cup winners are shaping up well and that he is gearing up to lead the Australian pace attack once again, after missing the World Cup.
“It was tough for me to miss the World Cup. I worked hard for the last four years for the World Cup but suddenly my ankle gave way and I was devastated,” said Lee.
“We have a depth in bowling with the likes of Shaun Tait, Mitchell Johnson and Shane Watson. It will be for me to return to lead the bowling attack once again.”