Alex Tudor: 'Brett Lee was one of the quickest bowlers to play the game'

Former England and Surrey fast-bowler Alex Tudor was speaking to HUW TURBERVILL as part of The Cricketer's bat testing day in March 2024

It was the equivalent of running out on the track in the middle of the Monaco Grand Prix.

Brett Lee was the fastest bowler in the world (probably), and the Waca at Perth was the bounciest, paciest track (definitely).

"He [Brett Lee] was arguably one of the quickest bowlers to play the game. He bowled the quickest spell a lot of us had seen," Tudor told The Cricketer Magazine editor Huw Turbervill as part of the 'Huw Meets..' YouTube series.

The result for Alex Tudor could have been deadly.

Even Australia captain Steve Waugh had just warned about the Waca, fearing that someone might lose their life batting on it.

Nasser Hussain's England were enduring a wretched time in the 2002/03 Ashes, 2-0 down to Australia by the time they went to Perth.

Tudor had been called up from England's academy in Australia after Simon Jones had hurt his knee at Brisbane in the series opener. He had to borrow a helmet, which didn't fit that well.

^{Alex Tudor at The Cricketer's bat testing day. [Paul Carroll]}

It was England's second knock, and they were trying to stave off an innings defeat.

Lee - whose pace was rivalled only by Pakistan's Shoaib Akhtar at the time - hurled the leather missile - the ball only three overs old - at 90mph and it went through the grille of Tudor's lid. The blow was sickening. After he collapsed to the floor his leg kicked out in shock. His eye swelled up immediately.

^{Alex Tudor takes a wicket for England. [Getty Images]}

His Surrey team-mate, Alec Stewart, ran down from the non-striker's end to calm him, and Darren Lehmann, at short-leg, was also kind.

As Tudor went off on a stretcher, another Surrey mate, Mark Butcher, told him he'd ring his mum to say he was OK.

Fortunately - apart from needing six stitches - no real damage was done. Wonderfully, his sight was OK.

Lee said sorry, but pointed out that Tudor could bat, after making 99 not out as nightwatchman against New Zealand at Edgbaston in 1999.

England lost the Test and the next, but won a consolation victory at the SCG to make it 4-1.

Sadly Tudor didn't add to his 10 Test caps.

Alex Tudor was part of The Cricketer's bat testing day for the Club Cricket Guide 2024 at Reed's School in Cobham. Watch batting and bowling masterclasses with the former England fast bowler on The Cricketer's YouTube channel.