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Touchwood, life’s going well,” smiled Brett Lee when t2 met up with the handsome Australian speedster of Team KKR at ITC Sonar Calcutta on Thursday. “Okay, what are we going to talk about?” he asked. Within minutes, Brett was chatting away, about his life as he is living it…
You were not well a few days back. How are you now?
I had a terrible fever, which unfortunately put me out of that Pune Warriors game against Dada. I was looking forward to the challenge and from all reports down there, it was massive. I am good now….
Do you think there was a turning-point match with which KKR peaked this IPL season?
I think (it was) the first match that we won. And then obviously two games back-to-back and then three games back-to-back and then we thought can we get four, five, can we get six? So, we have been really happy and impressed with the way we have played. But it doesn’t mean nothing if we stumble now and rest on our laurels. We have to now play like we are coming third or fourth or fifth… not look at the scoreboard and think that we should be in the play-offs. Otherwise, cricket is a funny game.
All the Knights have said your captain Gautam Gambhir has been a real motivating force…
He has been great! That guy has been a wonderful captain and he has led from the front. When you are a player who believes in the team, in the players around you and in yourself, it is a recipe for success. He knows how to get the best out of his players. He is stern when he needs to be. He’s also a very down-to-earth, funny guy… but put him on the cricket field and there is that controlled aggression… there is that self-belief. That’s what a captain needs to be.
Who would you love to play the finals against?
Anyone! I just want to be in the finals… I just want Kolkata Knight Riders to be there! (Laughs) I am confident that we will go a long way this year. I am not going to say that we are going to win it. I hope we do… I don’t want to jinx ourselves.
Other than the cricket, how is your Calcutta stay going this year?
I’ll always be a part of Calcutta… a massive part of India (is) in me. You always take home memories and share it with your family. I have taken a lot of photographs… had some wonderful times here… played at golf courses, which is not me. I don’t play a lot of sport. I know it sounds funny!
Your team-mates keep talking about your Hindi…
Hindi?! Thoda thoda… the most important Hindi phrase is a bottle of thanda pani! You have to know what thanda pani is! If you can’t get chilled water, you’ll die of thirst over here!
Any news of those private acting lessons from Shah Rukh Khan that you were planning to take?
I haven’t had any yet! I am sure that if we are lucky enough, touchwood, to win the finals, SRK will teach us some dance moves!
Your son Preston was here with you. What did the two of you do?
We went to Timezone. He was playing basketball and kept winning soft toys. I think he and his friend won eight to 10 massive soft toys! His dream was to take one and give the rest to the children who don’t have any toys. He did that. He was trying to pick out which person he would like to give it to… all these kids walking around in the foyer… he kept saying, “I reckon we should give it to him, Daddy.” We like to spend quality time together. He enjoys going to the matches and loves the hustle-bustle of Indian cities and the crowd. It is exciting for him.
What kind of a dad is Brett Lee?
I am just a dad! (Laughs) Normal dad… very loving, caring… trying to be the best father I ever can….
Is Preston interested in playing cricket?
As a parent, (I feel) just because I have played for Australia doesn’t mean he has to too. If he wants to, well, then great. I think as parents, you just got to give your children every opportunity… and try new things. There is a lot of music around my house, instruments, games, soccer, tennis… so, whatever he wants.
Last time you had rocked Calcutta with a music performance. Anything lined up this year?
There has been a lot of guitar in the room… doing my own little playing myself… not having any spectators. That’s what I like sometimes… to chill out in my room by myself. But I quite miss playing on stage. I haven’t really had a chance. I have been flooded... got a lot of things on... there are always interviews... always things happening... which is good, which keeps you busy, keeps you out of trouble!
As far as my band goes, my music partner in White Shoe Theory, Mick Vawdon, and I are rolling sounds all the time, chatting on the phone, Skyping. So, we are looking forward to do a show. We want to bring out an album too.
Any collaborations planned with Indian musicians like the one with Asha Bhosle?
Nothing’s been planned yet, but there will be another opportunity for our band to tour here very shortly. Whether it is the next six to 12 months... who knows... but I am keen... we have got everything in place. The report that we got last year was that everyone had a good time. We did six shows and it was always packed. So, it’s not like we were not invited back... but I am playing the IPL and then two weeks I want to be with my family... then I go to England and then Sri Lanka and then we come back for the Champions League (Twenty20)...
Any Indian singer you like listening to?
I have heard a lot of Indian music in the past three-four-five weeks because when we put music on... and have Western music playing... it is important that we listen to Hindi music as well. I couldn’t tell what they were about… but pretty cool…
Chammak challo...?
Yeah... Chammak challo is cool and catchy! What does it mean?
Well... it kind of means ‘will you be my girl...’
Oh! Will you be my sundar ladki?!
Like in Delhi, are you planning to open a music academy in Calcutta too?
There are plans for Calcutta and I definitely want to do something in collaboration with KKR. My driven passion and vision is to have music centres throughout India. In Calcutta, I hope I’ll build my music centre and I’ll sponsor it and kids will benefit from it. I want to go to Hyderabad, I want to go to Mumbai... on May 16 a centre will be set up (there). I want to look after 1,000 kids. This will take time and of course a lot of money needs to be raised, but we can do it.
It makes you feel good?
It makes me feel good and it makes them feel good... it is a win-win. It is wonderful to see the looks on the kids’ faces. I have been so lucky and gifted that I have had a wonderful upbringing. I come from a very loving family... beautiful mum and dad who I speak to every day... two brothers I am very close to... close group of friends and cousins. There are a lot of kids here and back in Australia too who haven’t got that.
I do a lot of work for children in Australia. I have a charity back there. And I thought that I want to set something up in India. It took a few years to plan and we launched it last year.
I will give you my Twitter site @BrettLee_58... that’s where you can find me and all the details about all the stuff we do... the charity through music and the events we have coming up.
So many people have told me on Twitter over the past few days ‘what a great job you are doing, how can we help and volunteer...?’ That’s exactly what we need. People want to help... it is wonderful! Ordinary people like you and me want to make a difference. That’s the great thing about Twitter. I was so anti-Twitter just about 12 months ago. I am now all for it. What a great way world-wide to break news about what you are doing and trying to help. I am not going to use it to tell people when I am having an apple or a glass of water. Now I have got a direct line to my fans. It is an instant text message where someone says, “How come we cannot buy your book in India”.... Now you can.
Tell us about your book My Life...
I have tried to be as open as I possibly could. That’s the truth. I have told it as it should be told. Things that have happened throughout my life and career, which I have gone into great detail about. I did not just want it to be a cricket book. Yes, there are cricket stories and things that happen on the pitch but it is a story of my life. It’s being launched here on June 1.
I also wanted it to be educational... I want to help a lot of young fast bowlers around the world. I have got so many kids in Australia who have read the book and said: “I did not know you had a toe operation, I did not know that you have a broken back, I did not know that the doctor said you won’t be able to bowl fast when you were 17 or 18.” It’s like if I can do it, anyone can! So, it is trying to be inspirational to the children as well.
I did not want to do a book on cricket stats... that’s not me. That’s boring!
You have also said that this book is for Preston to know you...
Memoirs... having something bound between two cardboard pages that is my life and one day when Preston is old enough to read and read well and appreciate.... He gets it now that I play cricket, he gets it that I am in front of the crowd and people want autographs. At first he was like, ‘How come everyone knows your name, Daddy?’ I have put that in the book. Sometimes he calls me Binga or Brett Lee! I say everyone can call me Brett Lee or Binga, but no one else can call me Daddy except you... so, he is happy with that.
Was it difficult to pour yourself into the pages?
I had to make sure that I did it with somebody I trusted. James Knight, the co-author... we wrote it together. And he was sitting here with a dictaphone and talking, talking, talking and talking and talking... you know there was 16 months of hard work... over 100 hours of face-to-face interviews. There was a trip to India, when he came here on the band trip. He picked my mind on the plane and during the gigs.… How are you feeling? How come you are feeling this now?
When the chance of a (second) book came up, I said yes, provided James Knight was on it. He has been a friend now for 15 years. I trust him.
Is there anything that you have left out in the book?
Hmmm.... I probably did not want to go into great detail about my personal life and I am talking personal personal... what I went through with my ex (ex-wife Liz Kemp). That was something that did not need to be told. There are talks about having arguments on the cricket field with captains and it is all pretty juicy. There is a lot of stuff in there... people would go, ‘Wow’! I also haven’t had a go at anyone.
It speaks a lot about the paparazzi. There is a story about a Christmas Day and how it was almost spoiled by the paparazzi. It talks about living with the paparazzi. People don’t realise what it’s like when you are constantly doing that (picks up his phone and trains the camera) when you are having breakfast... you got to learn to live with that and people who get upset with that are people who do not succeed. I have chosen to be a cricketer, not that I chose to be famous. I don’t say that I am famous, but I am in the public spotlight....
Are you happy with where you are today?
I am really happy. I am in a really good spot. Do I have any regrets? I think everyone’s got regrets and (thinks about) ways that they could have done things differently. But it’s funny that if you ask me to plan my life, this is exactly how I would have planned it. Yes, I have been through some hard times in my life, but it’s made me a stronger person.
To me, it is not about how many wickets I have taken or how many runs you have scored. It’s about longevity. That’s the thing I am most proud about. Some say you are in the 300 (wickets) club and you will get into the 400 One Day wickets.... If I get it, fantastic. But it doesn’t matter if I get 310 Test wickets or 311. At 35-and-a-half, still running around the field and having a ball. I am in the Australian team today. I am going to lead the attack hopefully with a kid half my age... Patrick Cummins... 18 years. I will be 36 this year!
So, what is the secret?
It’s belief! What does Sachin (Tendulkar) do? He believes. And the thing is that you got to understand too that if you are playing cricket that hard, the chances are that you are going to get injured sometimes. But you got to accept that and take it with a grain of salt. You got to get up and find a way to come back.
My perfect afternoon is a Sunday with the family, people I love and trust... sitting around... having a barbecue, playing the guitar... singing along... that’s all that I want.
Fishing is your other love...
I love fishing! It’s killing me that I cannot fish in India. I am normally with my best mate Dominic Thornely (all-rounder with the Sydney Sixers) and my cousin Luke. We talk, we laugh and we have a great time... if we catch a fish that’s a bonus! The biggest fish I have caught is a kingfish (his Twitter display picture)... about 80cm long... from the (Sydney) Harbour Bridge. Doesn’t get much better than that!
You are always smiling. Your first thoughts when you get up in the morning and look into the mirror?
God... is that what I look like?! Oh my god, you need to sleep… go to bed at 10pm! (Laughs) You got to cherish every single day. I have always lived by the motto that I don’t want to do anything that mum and dad would see on the front page and be offended by. So, just try and be a good person....
Finally, Brett Lee’s dream spell...?
Hasn’t happened yet! Would be whatever will be required if I get to bowl the last over to win the IPL final! Whether I need to give 18 runs and not 20... whether I need to bowl a maiden... whatever we need to do to make sure that we close the game!
Saturday’s KKR vs Mumbai Indians match at the eden gardens was a starry affair. t2 brings you the many moods & moments
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