Fierce rivals on the field and great friends off it, Brett Lee and Shoaib Akhtar will now join hands for the UAE as brand ambassadors for the ILT20.
Two of the fastest bowlers of all time, Lee and Akhtar broke the speed gun in their prime as both hit the 100 MPH (160 KPH) mark in the early 2000s, with matches between Australia and Pakistan often providing a thrilling subplot as they terrorised batters with their hostile pace, bounce and devastating yorkers.
On Wednesday, long after their retirements, Lee and Akhtar shared the stage in Dubai for the launch of the fifth edition of ILT20, the UAE’s IPL-style T20 league.
Now a Dubai resident, Lee could not stop admiring the impact the ILT20 had made on cricket in this region.
“What excites me is that over the four years, we’ve had four different winners. So you start thinking: is there a chance that a fifth team could win this year? If it hasn’t been on the blocks before, that excites me,” Lee said.
“But, look, I’m looking forward to the talent that’s on show. We’ve seen some amazing players over the last four seasons. The fact that Marcus Stoinis is back, Finn Allen, Sunil Narine, just to mention a few. We’re going to see some pretty handy all-rounders and, hopefully, some decent pace bowling.”
Lee said he cannot wait to work together with Akhtar as ambassadors for the ILT20, which has already become the second most-watched league in the world after the IPL.
“Look, I think it’s super exciting. We’ve been mates and worked together for 27 years now, and we’ve, I guess, pushed each other to try to get up to that 160 barrier, which we both did. We’re very, very proud that we did,” Lee smiled.
“From our point of view, we want to put our perspective on the game. Even though it’s T20 cricket, we still played a lot of T20 cricket at the back end of our careers. Some of the stuff that he’ll bring to the team, and some of the stuff that I bring to the team, will be a little bit different and unique, which is exciting.”
The 2003 World Cup winner hoped the ILT20 would produce a world-class Emirati talent.
“I keep saying I’m looking forward to one kid coming through, and I’m hoping that over the next couple of years it’ll be a local Emirati kid. Don’t discount how much they’re learning from the other guys — the experience and talent that are playing now,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to hopefully one day seeing them break that speed gun. Can someone get to 162? Why not? This UAE T20 league will help improve the local talent, especially the regional talent.
“The fact that they’ll be rubbing shoulders with them, calling themselves teammates, learning how they go through their training sessions, learning how and understanding how they prepare for a big, big match — that’s going to give them a lot of confidence.
“They will learn so much over the next six to eight weeks. I’m just looking forward to seeing what that’s going to do to a nation.”
Akhtar said Lee joining him as a new ambassador is a great boost for the league.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for youngsters to, you know, come together and watch us together and commentate together, and enjoy the game of cricket together,” the Pakistani superstar said.
“And the best thing about the ILT20 is just the fast bowling. There’s a lot of help for fast bowlers, which is what we do. And having Brett Lee alongside me, you know, it just brings back very old memories and the camaraderie that we had, the banter that we had around.”
The fifth season of the ILT20 will be played in November and December in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
T20 top guns Finn Allen, David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen will join a glittering list of stars that includes Jason Holder, Sunil Narine, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran and Rashid Khan.
While Desert Vipers are the defending champions, Gulf Giants won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2023.
MI Emirates triumphed in 2024, and Dubai Capitals emerged champions the following year.
Sharjah Warriorz and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders have yet to win the title.
Source: Khaleej Times