Brett Lee vs. Zaheer Khan: player analysis – ICC World Cup 2011

Zaheer Khan In Action

India and Australia will face each other in the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup 2011 quarter-final, to be held on 24^th March 2011. One key factor that will decide the fate of each team will be their bowling. Bret Lee will lead from the front with the ball for the Kangaroos and Zaheer Khan will do the same for India.

Bret Lee

The Aussies have won four group matches of the tournament against Canada, Kenya, New Zealand, and Zimbabwe, while their game with Sri Lanka ended in no result after rain stopped the match. Both the teams were given one point each for this game. Aussies lost their sixth group match to Pakistan and this defeat derailed their continuous winning streak of 34-World Cup matches, since 1999.

On the other hand, India have also won four group matches against Bangladesh, Ireland, the Netherlands and West Indies while they have lost one to South Africa. However, their match with England ended in a draw after seven hours of play. With this win-loss ratio, India are in second place in group ‘B’ with nine points.

Pacers play a vital role in winning any match and no team can be successful without top-class pacers in their line-up. Australia and India both have plenty of talented players in their squads including world-class all-rounders, pacers and spinners. Brett Lee is one of the most significant bowlers on the Australian team and he plays a vital role in almost every match. The most appealing quality of the pacer is his consistent bowling performance. In the Aussies’ recent loss to Pakistan on Saturday, Lee was the pick of the bowler for claiming four important wickets for 28 in eight overs. Not only this, he also remained the pick of the bowler in the group matches against Zimbabwe and Canada in winning the causes. The 34-year-old pacer will play an important role in dominating India’s strong batting line-up.

Lee’s marvelous speed and prior experience of playing in two editions of the World Cup will work out in the ongoing tournament. During World Cup 2003, he claimed 22 wickets at an average of 17.90 which was only behind pacer, Chaminda Vass. In the 2007 edition of the tournament, he was ruled out at the final stages due to injury. In the overall 16 World Cups’ innings, he has claimed 34 wickets at an average of 17.17.

Former Australian cricketer Ian Chappell describes Lee as, "He's lost some pace and it'll be interesting to see how he goes against the better batsmen. His experience could be invaluable."

On the other side, Zaheer Khan is the spearhead of the Indian pace attack, having a brilliant bowling experience at his back. The pacer has been playing a crucial role in most of India’s wins. In India’s recent 80-run victory over West Indies, Zaheer was the top wicket-taker for claiming three main wickets of Devon Smith, Ramanaresh Sarwan and Sulieman Benn. In the same way, he played an important role in India’s five-wicket win over Ireland by claiming three wickets in nine overs facing 30 runs.

In 20 World Cup innings, he has claimed 38 wickets at an average of 18.92. In 2003, he gave a remarkable performance by claiming 4/42 against New Zealand at the Centurion.

Former Indian batsman Sanjy Manjrekar has said, "Zaheer is the most dependable Indian seamer, and one who the opposition respects. He will rarely have a bad day with the ball."

Both teams earlier had their encounter in the World Cup warm-ups where India defeated the defending champions. The must-win competition between the two teams is expected to be tough but India may take advantage of playing on home soil.