Brett's One of the Good Guys

You may not have noticed it amongst all the euphoria of Sunday evening down at The Oval but the man who gave Freddie Flintoff the biggest farewell hug was Brett Lee, the man who posed an enormous threat to English batsmen until an injury kept him out of the whole Ashes series. It was the embrace between Flintoff and Lee, of course, after that epic 2nd Test win for England at Edgbaston in 2005, that provided the iconic photo of that particular series and the pair have embodied everything that makes test cricket so compelling ever since by hurling down cricket balls at each other at 90 mph-plus, but always sharing a joke and a drink afterwards. I have a personal story about Lee. A few years ago I took my then little boy along to the Oval to meet the Australians, most of whom I had played alongside with in an adventure that made a chapter in a book. Lee was not one of them, but this did not stop the Aussie fast bowler from taking my boy's hand and leading him into the Australian dressing room, before then demanding from all the players their autographs and assurances that they would happily pose for photos with my son. You don't forget moments like that and I wish Brett all the best for the rest of his successful career, although not especially against England.