stammering

The architect of New South Wales’ Champions League Twenty20 triumph, Brett Lee says he always strives to rise to the big occasions and it was immensely satisfying to shine in Friday night’s final against Trinidad & Tobago.

NSW were in tatters before Lee’s 31-ball 48 powered them to a competitive 159 for nine. The tearaway pacer returned to claim two early wickets to unhinge T&T.

Lee, who bagged both the Man of the Match and Man of the Series awards, said he is a big-match player and happy to have made his mark in the all-important summit clash.

“I think my game is coming up well and I’m enjoying it. I live for special moments like this and want to do well in big moments. When the crowd gets behind me, it becomes special and I’m happy I did well tonight,” said the pacer

Serena Williams was fined $10,000 Sunday for a profanity-laced tirade directed at a U.S. Open line judge, and an investigation is under way to determine whether there should be additional punishment.

The $10,000 penalty — not quite 3 percent of the $350,000 in prize money Williams earned by reaching the semifinals at Flushing Meadows — is the maximum on-site fine that can be issued for unsportsmanlike conduct at a Grand Slam tournament.

The U.S. Open said in a statement that the Grand Slam Committee Administrator will “determine if the behavior of Ms. Williams warrants consideration as a major offense for which additional penalties can be imposed.”

Williams, who was the defending champion, also was docked $500 for smashing her racket after the first set of what became a 6-4, 7-5 loss to Kim Clijsters on Saturday night.