Brett Lee has bowled the equal fastest delivery (with Shoaib Akhtar) He has been recorded bowling at speeds of over 160km/h leaving batsmen with only a fraction of a second to react once the ball leaves his hand.
Brett was born and raised in Wollongong, New South Wales where he grew up with his family and their shared love of sports. Brett tried his hand at many sports but cricket proved to be the one that he excelled in. He had his first official game of cricket at the age of nine. He quickly developed into a very talented player and progressed through the cricket ranks to be in a position where he gained selection for his state at the age of 21 and his country at 24.
Brett made his debut for Australia in the Boxing Day Test against India 1999. He finished his first match for his country with figures of 5/47. He has now picked up 211 wickets from 54 Tests.
He also has a formidable limited-overs record - with 237 wickets from 135 ODIs. His pace bowling combined with his ability as a hard hitting tail end batsman make him a crowd favourite throughout Australia and the world.
Brett is an enthusiastic and motivated sportsman who is grateful for all of the opportunities that have come his way. He remains a grounded person who is generous with his time. Outside of cricket, Brett has a number of other interests. He has a love of music and plays in two bands 'Six and Out' and 'The Gas'. Brett has also launched his own fashion label and opened a Coffee Shop whilst still finding time whenever possible to fit in a spot of fishing.
Age: 28
Height: 186.5 cm ("that half-centimetre is important")
Marital status: Engaged
Interests: Playing the acoustic or bass guitar with friends, fashion and freshwater fishing.
Favourite way to eat Weet-Bix? My favourite way to eat Weet-Bix is with cold milk and fresh fruits like strawberries and banana.
Favourite meal: Mum's lasagne.
What is important in your diet while in training?
It is important to watch what you eat while you are training. You have to make sure that you are eating the correct foods to give you energy to train, whilst not eating foods that cancel out all of the good training you have done. The best tip that I can give you is to make sure your diet is well balanced and healthy.
Where he'll be in 5 years:
Playing Test and ODI cricket as a senior member in the Australian team, and running a fully-established quality clothing operation.
What he worries about:
"I think there's more violence these days, especially in schools, and that worries me. Kids with guns is a scary concept. We tend to think 'only in America', but it's happening in Australia too."
Most important thing to him:
"My family - we're a very tightly-knit unit. If someone told me that I had to give up fashion, cricket and my music to guarantee my family's health and happiness, I'd do it."
On fashion:
"Fashion can be misleading. It can give out wrong messages to young girls who think that they have to be skinny to be beautiful. Men can suffer from this as well, thinking that they need to train too hard or neglect their body for bigger muscles. I believe that the fashion industry needs to cater for every demographic, not just one particular section of the population."
Favourite night in: Watching TV or a movie, writing a song.
Favourite music:
"My CD collection ranges from Mozart to AC/DC - there's always a Mozart disc in my touring bag. When I need to, I close the blinds of my motel room and relax by listening to Mozart for 20 or 30 minutes."
Favourite place in the world:
"Cape Town's a great spot, but it's always hard to go past the South Coast of New South Wales, especially the Shellharbour area where I grew up."
