Troubled Lee in need of help.

Troubled Lee in need of help


Ray Gatt | October 22, 2008


EMBATTLED Test paceman Brett Lee was an accident waiting to happen following his recent marriage break-up, according to one of Australian cricket's leading coaches.
Neil D'Costa, the personal coach of Australia vice-captain Michael Clarke and a long-time supporter of Lee, jumped to his defence after an on-field stoush with captain Ricky Ponting.
D'Costa believes Lee is under immense pressure after his marital problems with Liz Kemp and that he has been unfairly painted as the bad guy after he clashed with Ponting on Monday following the skipper's decision not to bowl him as Australia tried to avoid a humiliating defeat.
Even Mike Hussey, who has never taken a Test wicket, was given a bowl instead of Lee as the Australians struggled to dismiss India during its second innings.
D'Costa believes Lee, who was given a month off to sort out issues after his much publicised and painful marriage break-up, was likely to snap at some point on the gruelling tour of India.
D'Costa questions whether "the right steps were taken" to ensure Lee was in the right mental and emotional state for the tour.
Lee, 31, and Kemp separated in August after just two years of marriage. He subsequently pulled out of the Australian team training camp in Brisbane and the three-match, one-day series against Bangladesh in Darwin later that month before rejoining the squad for the tour of India.
"Situations like this are happening in all sports in this country, so I am not throwing stones at cricket," D'Costa said.
"And I'm not saying Brett should not be there. But I wonder whether the right personal support mechanisms have been in place.
"It is unfair to say that the way he is playing or the way the team has been playing has caused Brett's reaction.
"I would assume Brett is enduring an unbelievably difficult time and as anyone who has been in this situation will tell you, irrational and out of character behaviour may follow.
"Before we attack Brett, let's ask him if he is OK.
"I know it is easy to say after the event, but this was always going to happen."
D'Costa, who runs the D'Costa Cricket Academy for juniors, is adamant Lee's outburst was out of character.
"Answer me this: has Brett Lee ever been involved in anything like this before? Obviously not," D'Acosta said. "So there is something troubling him.
"Brett is the model professional sportsman. He has always been a great ambassador for the game, his country and young people.
"I would like to think that Ricky and Cricket Australia have or will ask Brett the sort of questions about his mental state and wellbeing that need to be asked. And if they haven't they need to.
"I'm no doctor or anything like that, but it surely takes a lot longer than four weeks to recover from such a harrowing and deeply upsetting situation like the one Brett is going through.
"The fact that he is a professional sportsman does not change his human emotion.
"Maybe it's time we helped Brett, as he may need it."
As Clarke's coach and mentor, D'Costa understands the pressures on high-profile cricketers in Australia.
"I have seen things that have happened with Michael over the years," he said.
"It's tough out there. I work with a lot of young players and, let me tell you, they are under immense pressure.
"They are thrust into the world of media and expectation after just being good at the sport they loved playing as kids.
"They are asked to perform, give up personal time to strangers, travel non-stop, be nice all the time, be polite when abused and not let personal problems affect the 'brand'.
"Yes, some of them get well paid but all the money in the world won't help when you are under intense pressure, especially when it involves personal issues outside of the sport.
"Brett is troubled and no doubt he will recover, but it will take time, as it would for anyone."

Red wrote:Troubled Lee in need of help

Thought I hadn't seen her for a while.

He doesn't know what couselling Lee has received but is prepared to say it wasn't right ....someone wants his 15 minutes of fame ....cock muncher

Aye, you beat me to it!!

Similar "knowledeable" sh!te erupted from no-marks here when Thorpey was going through his messy marriage break-up. He however, decided to walk away from England cricket to sort it much to a lot of people's irritation.

Huge call for Lee ... as it was for GT.

Merlin wrote:Similar "knowledeable" sh!te

Quite.

well whatever 'treatment' he received was not enough to keep him from crumbling in face on-field pressure.
his captain needed to display some understanding which was not to be.

warne for captain.

damn catch 22: if we drop him, he might self-destruct. if we play him, and he's bowls trash, we're ******!

Nath wrote:damn catch 22: if we drop him, he might self-destruct. if we play him, and he's bowls trash, we're ******!

Like I said - Huge call.
If he's "gone" in the head which something like a marriage break-up is bound to cause, then perhaps
he's better off on a beach somewhere sipping Cuba Libres and riding surf rather than scrapping with all and sundry
including team mates, in a pressure cooker atmosphere - no matter how brave a face he puts on things.

It's only a test series in India - worth forfeiting just to have him ready for the Ashes next year I'd have thought.

Merlin wrote:

Nath wrote:damn catch 22: if we drop him, he might self-destruct. if we play him, and he's bowls trash, we're ******!

Like I said - Huge call.
If he's "gone" in the head which something like a marriage break-up is bound to cause, then perhaps
he's better off on a beach somewhere sipping Cuba Libres and riding surf rather than scrapping with all and sundry
including team mates, in a pressure cooker atmosphere - no matter how brave a face he puts on things.

It's only a test series in India - worth forfeiting just to have him ready for the Ashes next year I'd have thought.

FFS, every day thousands of people get divorced and have to go to work the day thereafter.

I think Punter's "reasoning" was along the lines that Lee has a lot of bowling to get through by the time the 2009 Ashes finishes ...and busting a gut in India while they waited for the Indians to get bored and declare wasn't going to help him too much ...he just forgot to share that with Dung

FFS, every day thousands of people get divorced and have to go to work the day thereafter.

Aye, but then they don't have to walk out in front of 40,000 screaming banshees baying for blood and then be expected to perform at their peak in order to keep their team in a match for 5 days at a stretch .... under the spotlight daily from press - both friend and foe ... and then repeat the dose all over again a week later .... for the next 2 months ....
These guys ain't robots - though have to say, the BCCI are trying damned hard to make 'em that way.

Merlin wrote:

FFS, every day thousands of people get divorced and have to go to work the day thereafter.

Aye, but then they don't have to walk out in front of 40,000 screaming banshees baying for blood and then be expected to perform at their peak in order to keep their team in a match for 5 days at a stretch .... under the spotlight daily from press - both friend and foe ... and then repeat the dose all over again a week later .... for the next 2 months ....
These guys ain't robots - though have to say, the BCCI are trying damned hard to make 'em that way.

They also don't get paid the huge sums that Lee gets.

Money ain't everything taips .... sure, it helps ... but it ain't everything!

Simon O'Donnell just said that Punter was sending Lee a message which he didn't like and chose not to accept in a grown-up manner. His view is that if Lee puts his hand up to play he should lead the attack and not sook.

So to teach him to 'lead the attack and not sook' he doesn't bowl him until he sooks ...Is it 2005 again?

Not that I'm saying the break-up isn't the possible reason, but that's pretty much how Lee has bowled in his career barring the last year.

embee wrote:So to teach him to 'lead the attack and not sook' he doesn't bowl him until he sooks ...Is it 2005 again?

Remember, this is Captain Drunky's "reasoning" we are talking about here

doctorspin wrote:

embee wrote:So to teach him to 'lead the attack and not sook' he doesn't bowl him until he sooks ...Is it 2005 again?

Remember, this is Captain Drunky's "reasoning" we are talking about here

Ponting is capable of reasoning?

Just can't believe media is trying to exploit just a simple incident!

Bung has a limited record (must be the most ordinairy bowler to take 300), talent and sense...a v poor advertisement for weet bix

I predict he'll be out of the game within a year.

my estimation of bung just improved

horace wrote:Bung has a limited record (must be the most ordinairy bowler to take 300), talent and sense...a v poor advertisement for weet bix

I think you lot are needlessly pulling Lee down for one bad performance. How are Ntini, Vaas, and even Bhajii better bowlers than Lee? Lee was ordinary in the beginning of his career but in last 18 months or so, he has easily been the best fast bowler of the world!

poor strike rate and leaks runs like a sieve...would prefer Ntini and chaminder ahead of him...of course i would not take the Filthilator in any circumstances

Chandan wrote:

horace wrote:Bung has a limited record (must be the most ordinairy bowler to take 300), talent and sense...a v poor advertisement for weet bix

I think you lot are needlessly pulling Lee down for one bad performance. How are Ntini, Vaas, and even Bhajii better bowlers than Lee? Lee was ordinary in the beginning of his career but in last 18 months or so, he has easily been the best fast bowler of the world!

No, I think you'll find that Steyn and Clark have easily been better than Lee.