Brett Lee feared being blinded

Shyam Bhatia
India Abroad correspondent in London

Australian fast bowler Brett Lee has revealed how he feared for his sight after a fire cracker exploded close to him during Tuesday's one-day match with Pakistan at Trent Bridge.

Australia lost the match by 36 runs after scoring 254 all out. The two sides are due to meet again on Saturday at Lord's in the NatWest series final.

Lee's worry that he could have been blinded comes amid the continuing debate on player safety that has been sparked off by pitch invasions at Edgbaston and Headingley.

Alec Stewart has called for fines of upto 10,000 pounds for unruly behaviour and ICC Chief Executive Dave Richards has warned how grounds that persistently fail to control the crowds could lose their right to stage international matches.

On the eve of the one-day series final at Lord's, Lee recalled his fears at Trent Bridge, where he was fielding at the fine leg boundary when a fire cracker sailed over his head and landed only a few feet away.

He was apparently targeted by a supporter among the Pakistani fans crowding together underneath the main electronic scoreboard. Immediately afterwards Aussie skipper Steve Waugh took his team off the pitch for 20 minutes until they were reassured about their safety.

Lee, who is calling for stepped up security during the forthcoming Lord's clash, said, "There had been firecrackers going off for 42 overs but they were going off in the stands which didn't worry me too much.

"But then one exploded only a couple of feet from my head and I was worried about my eyes and sight all the time.

"I was just hoping that if I had to go for a catch down there that I wouldn't get one of those things going off right in my face. It was a pretty scary thing for me to deal with.

"I also had my glasses on top of my head and was conscious of the fact that if one of those firecrackers goes off right next to your eyes it could cause you permanent damage to your sight.

"The majority of the fans were great. It's only a handful of people causing the problem."

Meanwhile, Waugh has castigated the mob that provoked him to stage his walk out at Trent Bridge and invaded the pitch following the end of the match.

"The stewards tried their best to contain things but you can't control idiots, can you?" he said afterwards."You saw the way they behaved after the game and people shouldn't be allowed to spend £15 to come to a cricket match and think they can do what they want."