It has taken Brett Lee seven years and 143 gruelling one-day internationals to attain his current ranking, sixth, among the world's bowlers. But to reach No.4 in India's music charts, Lee required just 30 minutes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c3CeAKdDPQ

In that half hour, between matches at the Champions Trophy last year, Lee penned the lyrics to You're The One For Me, a duet performed with Indian Bollywood icon Asha Bhosle.

The combined drawing power of Asha and Lee ensured the single surged to No.4 inside the first week, and all but sealed plans for Lee to complete a studio album for release in India within the next year.

"We had talked about it for a while, but in the end it happened really quickly," said Lee, who plays guitar and sings in English and Hindi in the song.

"We had a break in between games last year, so I wrote the lyrics in half an hour and we headed up to a studio in Mohali to record it. Then we hired a room in our hotel in Mumbai to shoot the video. I have been shooting commercials since I was 20, so it all came pretty naturally."

Those close to the Australian team are hardly surprised at Lee's latest endeavour. The fast bowler seldom travels without his guitar, and can often be found jamming with teammates and opposing players after games.

Earlier this year, Lee and South Africa's A.B. de Villiers entertained guests at a Johannesburg hotel after the third test. Lee also played with England skipper Andrew Flintoff in a hotel bar in Nagpur last year.

The fact Lee chose India to launch his music career is similarly unsurprising. Though he has never played a Test in India, Lee has established himself as a highly marketable figure in the world's second-most populous country.

"I have about a dozen offers on the table for roles in Bollywood movies, which I would love to do, but it is difficult because you need 50 or so days to shoot them," he said.

"But I definitely plan to record an album in the break after the World Cup. I'm hoping to write songs that appeal to Indians."

Lee would not be the first cricketer to delve into music and film. Aubrey Smith, who captained England in 1889, left the game to pursue an acting career in Hollywood, which eventually led to roles alongside the likes of Clark Gable and Laurence Olivier.

In Bollywood terms, Asha is considered the equivalent to those names. According to Wikipedia, the 73-year-old has recorded more than 12,000 songs in 14 languages, and been involved in more than 900 films. Asha and her sister Lata Mangeshkar were immortalised in 1997 by British indie outfit, Cornershop, in the song Brimful of Asha.

"She is the Aretha Franklin of India," Lee said.

"It was amazing to work with her and is just as amazing to hear - we have now gone to No.4. I don't quite know what that means, in terms of how many people have listened to it, but India has 1.2 billion people, so I'm guessing it's quite a few."

For those more interested in Lee's bowling, there appears to be further good news. Having rectified a glitch in his run-up early in the Ashes series, Lee is confident of further surge up the rankings ahead of the World Cup. "I had a couple of chats with Troy Cooley and my brother, Shane," he said. "I could really feel the difference in the last couple of games."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8c3CeAKdDPQ

Quote:The fast bowler seldom travels without his guitar, and can often be found jamming with teammates and opposing players after games.

I didn't know that. Good Luck to Brett with his cricket and singing career. :smile:

England will just be glad when he retires from cricket. :biggrin: