| Player: | B Lee, AJ Strauss, JL Langer, M Ntini, SR Clark |
Brett Lee is one of Andrew Strauss's favourite cricketers. They have known each other since they were lads and the respect runs deep. The two played grade cricket together in Sydney for Mosman eight years ago and in last year's series in England when they crossed at the start of an innings it was not unusual for one of them whisper "good luck" to the other.
When all the world was criticising the Australians in the 2005 Ashes series, Strauss was still sticking up for Lee with lines like "I just love his guts. He's been the one who has really impressed me." But once Lee takes the new ball friends turn into mortal enemies. Lee, with a new shortened, more precise run-up, is suddenly looking twice the threat he was in the first three Tests and Thursday savagely pinned his old friend on the helmet in his second over. A 149kmh short-pitched thunderbolt struck Strauss on the grill and rebounded into his shoulder. Just as was the case when Justin Langer was hit by Makhaya Ntini in South Africa it was a bad sign that the ball bounced back towards the bowler and not over slips because it hit him flush. Strauss fell to the ground and stayed motionless for a while as Lee rushed to him, put his hand on his back and signaled immediately for help from the England dressing room. Then, as a fast bowler is almost obliged to do, he slightly removed himself from the frontline and focused on the next ball. The game stopped for several minutes and when Strauss took off his helmet he blinked and shook his head and widened his eyes as if he was having trouble focusing. But, bravely, he refused the option of retiring hurt and batted on. A couple of overs later he lifted Lee over slips for four and survived a close lbw shout when both men fleetingly glanced at each other. "Knowing Brett for so long it does feel funny facing up to him in a Test," Strauss said recently. "When I first saw him play in grade cricket I just couldn't imagine anyone bowling any quicker. Everything about him made me think that he was great for cricket and I still think that. When we first played together I was just an unknown grade cricketer but he had made his international debut. I remember sitting in the stands at the SCG and watching him play in the Test."
Strauss battled on until being trapped lbw by Stuart Clark for 24, ending a rugged series in which he averaged just 24 and made only one half-century.