Brett Lee vs Shoaib Akhtar?

[Pak_Fan_4_Eva]

Both very fast bowlers and easily the most exciting to watch when bowling Shoaib has had a stop start career (mostly due to his own antics) but despite this, his bowling figures are great. If we talk about raw talent then Akhtar >> Lee. Longevity favours Lee and that shows in his ODI stats

[Iconoclast]

Shoaib in Tests, Lee in ODIs. Re stats do keep in mind Shoaib did most of his bowling on dead Asian tracks.

[Anakin]

Akhtar on the other hand has dominated the top batsmen of his generation.

Oh really?

[Ranvir]

I would say Akhtar is better, he played most of his matches on flat wickets and still averages better than Lee in tests and is close to him in one dayers. Also like other subcontinent players he had average/poor fielders in his team dropping catches.

[Ultimate_Game]

You have to look from all aspects. Lee has been a pretty good bowler, good fielder and a committed team player. I have seen him bowl even with a stress fracture in the foot and the recurring heel injury. And he can swing a game or two with the bat as well. Akhtar is a pretty amazing bowler when on song but leaves a lot to be desired in other areas especially about being a team player. I blame him the most for how Asif's career turned out. He could have taken the young Pak bowlers, especially Asif, under his wings and mentored them like Imran but he was way too selfish. On top he sometimes didn't give his 100% on the field and there have been rumors that on few occasions he has refused to bowl citing injury or otherwise. Akhtar to me is a dressing room cancer, at least for the majority of his career. On bowling talent alone he should have been much ahead of Lee and could have gone on to become a great like Wasim or Waqar but if I were to pick one of Lee or Akhtar, I would go for Lee everytime. At the end of the day cricket is a team sport and there's no place for a player whose addition makes the team weaker.

[achilles]

Akhtar has had a career full of "what ifs". I'm so happy that he's finally coming into his own.

[ShahidAfridi]

You have to consider that Shoaib's ODI average has gone up quite a bit with his comeback, he is 35 years old now. Compare them when Lee plays when he is 35 years old. Being a extreme fast bowler is impossible in this day and age, Steyn is not extreme fast, im talking about 150 everytime like Lee and Shoaib when they were young. Watch this video [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-TTBPlMlDE]YouTube - Shoaib Akhtar vs Brett Lee the Speed Battle[/ame] They are very good mates

[ganeshran]

You have to consider that Shoaib's ODI average has gone up quite a bit with his comeback, he is 35 years old now. Compare them when Lee plays when he is 35 years old. Being a extreme fast bowler is impossible in this day and age, Steyn is not extreme fast, im talking about 150 everytime like Lee and Shoaib when they were young. Watch this video

They are very good mates

Shoaib Akhtar is hardly an year older than Brett Lee. That age comparison isnt really valid. Lee has also played 30 odd matches more than Akhtar.

[Zeemazing]

DUDE CAN you PM ME, i cant get on the other message board, the one for our country Could someone help me get ON THAT FORUM!!! they keep rejecting my membership, and then they say Lurkers please sign up ;(

[HowardRoark]

DUDE CAN you PM ME, i cant get on the other message board, the one for our country Could someone help me get ON THAT FORUM!!! they keep rejecting my membership, and then they say Lurkers please sign up ;(

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[ganeshran]

DUDE CAN you PM ME, i cant get on the other message board, the one for our country Could someone help me get ON THAT FORUM!!! they keep rejecting my membership, and then they say Lurkers please sign up ;(

Ask any of the pakistani posters here who are also on padosi site to PM a mod there and check with them why they are rejecting you. :offtopic:

[HowardRoark]

Scenario 1: I am choosing a fast bowler for my 5 over a side bet match If both Akthar and Lee are in more or less equal fitness and form, I will choose Akthar as he is capable of making more impact than Lee. Scenario 2: I am the national selector and choosing a bowler for my country's team If both Akthar and Lee are in more or less equal fitness and form, I will choose Lee as I judge him to be more valuable to the team(with right focus on fitness, performance, and longevity) as well as the country(being a good ambassador for the country in the sports arena, a good role model for the country's budding cricketers) in the long term.