Brett Lee up there with Holding, Marshall: Viv Richards

West Indies batting legend Vivian Richards feels Australia's Brett Lee is the most fiery fast bowler the sport has seen after the intimidating Caribbean quartet of Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Michael Holding and Curtly Ambrose.

Lee became the fastest bowler to claim 300 wickets in one-day internationals when he reached the milestone in his 171st match, against West Indies -- 15 games earlier than previous record holder Pakistani legend Waqar Younis.

And Richards feels the Aussie has proved himself enough to be placed alongside the Windies greats.

"I think he's certainly up there with those guys [Marshall, Holding, Garner and Ambrose]," Richards was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press.

"I think it is hard to assess what took place from then to now ... but I think when he's called upon to do it, he's just as good as any," he added.

Impressed with the 31-year-old pace spearhead's consistency, Richards said he was amazed by the fitness levels maintained by Lee.

"What I have been impressed more than anything in Brett Lee is his fitness, and no matter what time of the day you call on Brett Lee he's going to be 100 per cent," Richards said.

How many people here agree with Viv? I'm afraid I may not find many.

just goes to show that too much reefer can always lay the mighty low

Lee's fitness and attitude towards fast bowling is damn good, thats a given. But if he is as good as all those monsters from WI is very much debatable.

IMO he is still quite some way away from all 4 of the quartet, Marshall, Garner, Holding and Ambrose.

I'd say that even Walsh is better than him at this stage of Lee's career.

bung is now a useful bowler for Oz but not much more

May be Viv is too much swayed by his WR of fastest 300 ODI wickets.

I think that Brett Lee is the most overrated cricketer of the last 30 years.

He's good, but he's so far from great it's not funny.

Oh look, we can play 'two threads on the same topic'...

Lee is improving all the time in tests though.

In last 18 months he has figures of 65 wickets @ 21 with a s/r of 40. Thats awesome in this era of high scores and flat pitches.

And he is the fastest to 300 ODI wickets in terms of matches and balls bowled.

If Lee had been bowling like he is now right throughout his entire career then he could be compared to these greats.

When he was just a young state player for NSW I predicted he'd go on to be an all-time great. The early signs were good, but then he went bung for a long time. Holding and Marshall never went bung.

Lee's next few years better be damn good if he wants to be considered anywhere near the same league as Holding and Marshall.

Just to clarify, I'm talking about his test career.

Lee has been great in one-dayers for a long time now.

Viv would have never faced the fearsome battery of the WI pacers together. So he probably never knew what the others went thru. !!

Lee is to Marshall what Enid Blyton is to Dostoevsky.