Queen Elizabeth in Tasmania where she will sail on the Sporting Greats voyage
He’s a cult hero known for having one of the fastest deliveries in cricket and now, Brett Lee is looking forward to bowling over Cunard guests when he steps onboard Queen Elizabeth as an insight speaker for the cruise line’s Sporting Greats voyage in February. On the eve of this summer’s Ashes series, which starts on Friday the 16th of June 2023, the Aussie cricket legend sat down with Cunard for a Q&A on all things luxury travel and elite sport.
How did you become involved with Cunard as an insight speaker and what attracted you to this opportunity?
I’ve always been a fan of cruises, and I love being out on the water, but I haven’t ever had the opportunity to cruise as since the age of 18 I’ve been so busy playing cricket or commentating on cricket. But, luckily enough for me, the two worlds came together and on Tuesday the 13th of February 2024, I’ll be spending seven nights onboard Queen Elizabeth.
Obviously, when you talk about luxury, Cunard is the brand that springs to mind and having the chance to rub shoulders with 2,000 sports fans whilst we sail around the coast of Australia on this incredible ship was too good an opportunity to miss.
What do you think guests will enjoy most about your talk and do you have any surprises up your sleeve?
Guests can definitely expect me to talk about my experiences playing the POMS and the good and bad of playing in the Ashes series. I’m looking forward to telling all those memorable stories, but more than that, it’ll be great to share a few drinks with people in the Golden Lion, have fun and hear about guests’ experiences of these sporting occasions.
In terms of what I’ve got up my sleeve when we dock in Melbourne, I’ll be giving a guided tour of the MCG - where I made my debut against India in 1999 - and sharing a few stories of that beautiful ground, which is going to be a pretty cool shore experience.
Your cricket career has taken you across the globe, how has travel impacted your outlook on life?
For the past 20 years, I’ve been lucky enough to travel on tours all over the world but the usual routine is airport to hotel to cricket ground and back again, so I’ve never had a chance to really explore these destinations, which is why I’m so excited for this voyage next year. I’m looking forward to relaxing with lots of wonderful people, eating great food, getting pampered in the spa and having a cracker of a time. Seeing new places is such a blessing and to do so onboard a Cunard ship will be a magnificent experience. We all lead such busy lives and taking time out to unwind in this day and age is really important.
What are the top three things you look for in a cruise holiday?
First off, waking up in the morning to the sun coming up over a crystal-clear blue ocean whilst out at sea is top of my list. I really love that concept. The peace you get from being out on the ocean is unbeatable. But with Cunard, I’m looking forward to the onboard experiences, particularly the fine dining. I know we don’t talk about this type of thing as cricket players, but I can’t wait to get a massage onboard and get some treatments in the salon!
In your opinion, what’s the best thing about a luxury voyage?
For me, luxury travel is about creating memories with the people you love and having a cracker of a time whilst you do it. Sometimes the journey is as fun as the holiday itself and when you travel in style like I’ll be fortunate enough to do in February, your eyes are opened up to a whole world of wonderful entertainment, five-star dining and the chance to meet a bunch of people that want to have fun, too.
If you could time travel and relive or change any moment in your career, what would it be and why?
I always look back and wonder how things would have turned out if I didn’t bowl that wide line or that slower ball bouncer but honestly, I wouldn’t change anything about my career. One of the things I explain to kids in schools is that sometimes you have to experience failure to appreciate the good times - because sport is full of ups and downs and we have to accept that fact. It might sound like an oxymoron but I’ve had some great losses over the years. We lost at Edgbaston in 2005 but that is still one of my favourite test matches because of the spirit in which it was played and what I learned from those five days.
Having said that, if we’d scored those two extra runs on the final day, I genuinely believe we’d have won that series 5-0. But that moment with myself and Andrew Flintoff where we hugged it out is now an iconic sporting moment and I’m very proud to have been a part of that because I played as hard as I possibly could but in the fairest way possible, too.
The Ashes has its fair share of iconic moments. Can you share one such moment from your career that still gives you goosebumps to this day?
Getting my baggy green cap for the first time will always stay with me. My mum and dad asked me at the age of nine what I wanted to do when I was older and I said I wanted to wear the baggy green, bowl at 160kph and play for Australia - and I was lucky enough to do all three.
You know, I wasn’t even the best cricketer in my family, but I was the most tenacious and never gave up and that’s what pulled me through. Also, one of my all-time favourite moments was playing my first ever One Day International against Pakistan and walking out onto the pitch with my brother Shane in the team as well. All those years we dreamt about representing Australia and it had become a reality.
The Ashes battles have seen some epic rivalries. Which English cricketer, past or present, would you choose to go on a world voyage with and why?
It’s funny, whenever I get stopped in the street whether I’m in India, Australia, or where I am in the world, people always say, “I love what you did to Piers Morgan when you peppered him with bouncers!”
But playing-wise, I actually had a friendship with Andrew Strauss before we even played Ashes cricket as we were teammates at Mosman Cricket Club, so I’m sure we’d have a good time together. But then players like Kevin Pietersen or Andrew Flintoff would bring a fair bit of entertainment to a voyage, those guys are both great fun to be around.
What’s your prediction for this Ashes series and which players will have a big say on who gets their hands on the urn?
Predictions are always tough, but I think if England loses the first test, the media will go a bit harder on them because of this whole Bazball thing. I’m actually a big Brendon McCullum fan and I absolutely love the way this England side plays cricket, but I think Australia will give them a really good run for their money.
Let’s not forget, we are World Test champions and someone like Glenn McGrath will always say 5-0 to Australia, but I feel it’ll go all the way and will be a really tight contest all summer. I think whoever wins the first test will probably win the series.
In terms of individual players, I’m backing David Warner to have a good Ashes campaign. He’s coming to the end of his career, so will naturally start playing with more freedom, and I think he’ll take that Bazball style of batting to the bowlers.
What are the key differences between playing cricket in the UK versus Australia?
Obviously, the main one is that we use different balls. For me, the Dukes' cricket ball is superior to the Kookaburra that we use in Australia. And in Australia, the wickets have more bounce and carry whereas in the UK, the ball swings around a bit which is always interesting.
But the big one is the Barmy Army - the crowds in the UK are fantastic. It wasn’t until the back end of my career that I appreciated the Barmy Army, but the atmosphere and humour they bring to the sport are amazing. Sometimes, if you’re struggling to take wickets, it can be a difficult environment to play in, but as players, those are the occasions that you live for.
If you had to choose between an Ashes whitewash or a lifetime supply of Cunard voyages, which would you pick and why?
I’ve finished playing cricket now so I’ll pick the cruises all day long and we can watch the Ashes onboard! I’ll have the best of both worlds that way.
