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Lee and Tait should bowl together - Chappell

Brett Lee and Shaun Tait should be unleashed on the England batsmen in a fast-bowling partnership reminiscent of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, according to Ian Chappell

Cricinfo staff
20-Nov-2006


Shaun Tait's pace and swing would unsettle the England batsmen, Ian Chappell says © Getty Images
Brett Lee and Shaun Tait should be unleashed on the England batsmen in a fast-bowling partnership reminiscent of Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, according to Ian Chappell. Writing in his column in London's Daily Telegraph Chappell said the extreme pace and late swing of Lee and Tait would be the best way to rattle England in the first Test starting at Brisbane on Thursday.
"Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee were always certain selections for the Gabba but I would round out the Australian pace attack with the explosive Shaun Tait," Chappell wrote. "Lee and Tait, L & T, pace and more pace. My mind wanders back to 1974-75 when another L & T combination, Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson, pace and more pace, produced a Brisbane blitz that quickly changed the dynamics of an Ashes series.
"The Gabba is the fastest and bounciest pitch in Australia and that is the ground where the Lee and Tait combination is most likely to work." Chappell said using Lee and Tait would also help Shane Warne.
"With the [potential] loss of Watson, Australia are likely to opt for a more conservative pace attack of McGrath, Lee and [Stuart] Clark, one attacking bowler and two miserly metronomes," he wrote. "This could force the England batsmen to attack Shane Warne, the correct way to play the champion leg spinner.
"However, play Tait instead of Clark and this means the balance is in favour of aggressive pace bowling and the requirement to score quickly off Warne won't be so great; push and prod at the leg spinner with a bit of bounce in the pitch and batting life expectancy recedes faster than Brisbane's twilight."
Tait, who left the field with leg cramps on day two of England's tour match against South Australia, returned on day three and bowled six overs.