Brett lee Napier ODI 2005. (Photo Source : Gettyimages)
In Part 1 of his interview on Home of Heroes on JioCinema, Brett Lee talks about the origins of his nickname ‘Binga’, what led to his ferocious bowling speed, and shockingly reveals what advice prodded his younger brother Grant, who was a better cricketer than him, to not pursue a career in cricket.
So, I want to get straight down to it. Binga. Where does that nickname come from?
In Australia, particularly in Sydney, there’s a chain of electrical stores called Binglee and it’s as simple as that. I wish I had a better answer for it. It’s a Chinese Australian-owned brand, since 1957 and always as a kid growing up, it used to be Bing. First, they tried Bruce. But my younger brother ended up getting Bruce, they got to hang me down after all and I was like I’m not being called Bruce. Yeah, so it started with Binglee and then Binga.
What was growing up like for you because you have another brother as well?
Yeah, two. Beautiful childhood. Yeah, speak to Mum and Dad every single day – doesn’t matter where I’m in the world. They are my two biggest supporters, beautiful people. We grew up in a very loving household, a very normal household. In Mount Warrigal next to Oak Flats, I played for the Oak Flats Rats as my local cricket team, as you said, but just a very normal childhood and a very loving childhood.
And one thing that my parents have always been really aware of is to respect people. It doesn’t matter what colour your skin is, doesn’t matter. Just be nice to people and they’ll be nice to you. That’s the way I was brought up. So, very lucky and having an older brother and a younger brother, our games of backyard cricket were fierce – that was so good.
So, who was the best among the three?
My younger brother, Grant. Shane and I both played for Australia and Grant was better than both of us put together. But he got to the age of 18 and said, I’m not really enjoying my cricket. And Shane said, well if you’re not enjoying it, quit. And he quit.
I remember you telling me a story about him helping you out when you’re coming back from injury and you know, he’d bat against you.
He hadn’t picked up a bat in about 12 years and I came back in. I was about my third session back. So, the pace getting back to about 135-140 ks again – started to work up to some decent pace. And I said can you face a few and he said sure. So, I gave him my Aussie helmet and he came down, he’s batting and he’s pumping me through mid-wicket, in the cover drives. I’ve sniffed him. Just couldn’t get him. I asked him – why aren’t you playing cricket? But he was an amazing cricketer. He just chose not to do it, which is fine.
So, you start looking at playing cricket at the Oak Flats Rats and you started scaring batsmen at a very young age. Did you know then that you were going to be a rapid bowler?
I started when I was nine and my older brother Shane, who also played for Australia, so he’s two and a half years older than me. Literally in the backyard he just said to me, bowl to me. I’m like well how do you do that? He just said do that and do that. And then next year I signed up for the U10s, as a nine-year-old, my first game ever of outdoor cricket. I’ve got a few wickets and I thought, this game is pretty cool.
You know, I didn’t realize that my first over – I had six for none of one, all bowled. Every single ball would hit the stumps and the poor kids came off they were crying, they couldn’t pad up and I was happy, but my parents felt bad for the parents and the kids. But yeah, I just fell in love with the game, and we played in the backyard. So, I knew from the age of nine that I wanted to bowl fast because I couldn’t bowl spin, I wasn’t a great batsman, and I just got that enthusiasm and that really good vibe when I saw the stumps either break or knocked over.
So, you start at a very young age then and you always bowled fast.
Yeah. And that’s a little bit like from the age of nine told my mum and dad that I want to play for Australia and I want to wear the baggy green cap and I want to bowl 160 ks. So, whatever I did that day, moving up until now, I was always destined to achieve that dream, and obviously ups and downs along the way. Which I’m sure we’ll get to. Yeah, but that was it. That’s all I ever wanted – to play for Australia.
When did you realize you could actually bowl fast?
Probably sixteen. I was playing with the grades, and I was always the quickest in U12s & 14s. I got to sixteen and I went from the South Coast because we were two hours away in the country out of Sydney. So, Mum and Dad had to drive me up two or three times a week to Sydney.
Two hours one way, two hours the other and get to the stage where I was out there and I was trying to bowl. But at the age of 16, playing in the Sydney grade, to go from regional grade to Sydney grade against the big boys, that was when I was like, okay this is going to be challenging. But at sixteen, I thought I knew then I was going to be quick.
Was the action the same?
Oh, I used to fall away a lot and that’s when I broke my back. I was in a back brace for fourteen weeks because I was at a fast bowlers camp and the great Dennis Lillee was there. And I met Dennis Lillee for the first time and he pulled me aside and said – hey you got good pace, but if you don’t change your action, within a year or so, I reckon you’re going to have a broken back.
And sure enough, sixteen or seventeen – I broke my back. So, I got his number from the ACB, back then it was the Australian Cricket Board or Cricket Australia, as it is known now. I said Mr Lillee, it’s Brett Lee here. You were right. I was wrong. I am ready to listen, he said great. We could work on your action. So that’s when I modified and changed it.
Okay, before we get to the people who actually influenced your life as Shane’s had a big influence in your life, what was that like for you? And what kind of an influence did he have on your life?
Yeah, like a great influence. You know, a really positive outlook on life, my brother, and life of the party. Fun bloke. And was a very good cricketer. I’m disappointed that he didn’t play more for Australia. I think with me probably being the least talented in the family, but I had the best work ethic – I never gave up. Where Shane was like he had the most sort of him and Grant had the most talent, but he retired at 29, had one injury in his life, and went, I’ll go and choose to do business now.
Whereas he could have pushed through and played a few more years but he was, he had a great career, he is really happy, captained New South Wales, and playing under him was good, you know having an older brother to look up to. But he sort of paved the road I had to walk down so he helped me a lot and I can only thank him for what he’s done.
Any anecdotes that you can share with us?
One time in the backyard, it was a stinking hot day like 35- 40 degrees in Sydney or back in the country at Mount Warrigal, and bowled all day. So, we had like the pot plants, like the little trees we put them at short leg. That was David Boon on one side. So, if you get caught in the pot plan, you’re out. Grant was fielding, I was bowling ball for like three and a half hours, and Shane had 334 in the backyard. He was out nicked off and said nah didn’t hit it, just blatantly cheated. We walk in and grab a cold drink. I still remember that I bowled for three and a half hours, I came out and he nicked me off with a leg cutter got me out the first ball, and walked inside. I’m really young.
So, I started crying. Mum ran out and smacked Shane. But remembering those days and him doing that without even noticing was toughening me up, making me tougher for those situations where you can’t get a wicket, or you have to ball and ball and ball. And because I want to play cricket every single day you hit the ball out of the back fence – we couldn’t find the ball. Shane said I am going to go inside unless you ride to the shop and buy a new tennis ball, so got my bike and rode five Ks down the shop. Got a new tennis ball, come back, play cricket again because he knew that I was so keen to play that I would commute back and forth to the shops.