Brett Lee reveals why Sachin Tendulkar & Brian Lara are his 'favorite' Test batsmen

Australian pace icon Brett Lee has bowled to many of the finest batsmen in the history of the game during his illustrious cricketing career. However, he has picked two of the batting greats as his personal favorites in the longest format of the game and they happen to be 'Master Blaster' Sachin Tendulkar, and 'The Prince of Trinidad' Brian Lara respectively.

Meanwhile, Brett Lee has also revealed why it was a pleasure for him to watch those two legends bat on the 22 yards.

Brett Lee picks Sachin & Lara as his favorite Test batsmen

"My favourite Test batters from the time that I was playing would be Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara. Brian Lara was simply so flamboyant. You could bowl six balls to him in the exact same area, let us say at the top of the off stump, if I aimed at that spot for six consecutive deliveries, someone like a Brian Lara would hit me down the ground, he could work me behind square, he could cut me behind by a point, he could drive through the covers, he could hit me straight down the ground to the offside," said Brett Lee during his interaction in the ICC press release.

"He is so unpredictable, whereas you look at a guy like Sachin Tendulkar, if I bowl a full edge side off stump, then I knew he could hit me through extra cover, or if I bowled straight through the off stump, he would cut me down the ground through mid-off.If I bowl on leg stump, he would hit me through the wicket, if I bowled short, he would either cut or pull me. So, both were technically great batsmen I have played against," the former Australian speedster added.

"With Sachin, you knew where the ball was going to go, but you had to stop the ball. He had an amazing cricket technique, a great temperament, and a brilliant cricket brain," the 2003 World Cup winner added.

Sachin Tendulkar's cricketing career

In a successful cricketing career that spanned 24 years, Sachin Tendulkar's stats in his international career are something that one can only dream of.  The cricket legend's stats include his 100 international centuries out of which he scored 51 in Tests. Sachin Tendulkar's r centuries count also includes his 49 tons in ODIs. The 2011 World Cup winner called it quits from international cricket in 2013 after scoring 15,921 runs in 200 Test matches at an average of 54.04 and 18,426 runs in 463 ODIs at an average of 44.83. Virat Kohli is believed to be the closest to break Sachin Tendulkar's records, with 70 international hundreds to his name at present.

Brian Lara's cricketing career

Brian Charles Lara was one of the best and the finest cricketers to play and lead the West Indies team. Under his captaincy, WI's title drought of 25 years came to an end when they won their first and only ICC Champions Trophy in 2004.  Brian Lara finished his cricketing career as one of the best in the business with some phenomenal records to his name.

Nicknamed 'The Prince of Trinidad', Lara represented West Indies for 17 years. He became the youngest captain for the team of Trinidad and Tobago at just the age of 20. He made his Test debut for the West Indies side the same year against Pakistan in Lahore, where he registered scores of 44 and 6. Right after the Test, he had to return to the domestic circuit and only became a regular once Richards retired. 

In his three captaincy stints, the team didn't really shine, but the greatest feat for him as a captain was when he led his side to win the ICC Champions Trophy in 2004. He hung his gloriously worn boots after the '07 World Cup. Lara's score of 400 against England in 2004 remains the highest individual Test score to date.