They breed them tough in Australia - and fire-breathing fast bowler Brett Lee is living proof. We need four months off per year because the body needs time to recover
He played through the whole of last winter with a fractured ankle and simply describes the experience as "weird".
Newly returned to the Australia side he faces a fresh battle to secure his place as four fast men are fighting for what appears to be three regular places in the side.
Lee, who is softly spoken and in no way intimidating off the field, had an operation last October to deal with a 'posterior impingement' - a bone spur rubbing on another bone in his left ankle.
But by November he was feeling the pain again and with a big series against India already started he was eager to be back in action.
The effects told, though, as Lee conceded 476 runs in just two Tests, with only eight wickets to show for it.
"It was hard to bowl with that sort of pain," he admits.
It was not until later that the bone was found to broken and further surgery was required but Lee has little time for suggestions he was below par against India.
"I wouldn't have played for Australia if I felt I couldn't do the job," he tells BBC Sport.
"There are so many players who could do to the job that it wouldn't be right to do that but I felt I could get through."
Sporting a new, shorter run-up courtesy of Dennis Lillee, which required practising regularly with his eyes shut, Lee says he feels better than he has in a long time,
Lee took a wicket with his second ball in the Champions Trophy
But he knows he is not back to his best with the ball just yet.
"I'm 100% fit but it will take time to find form," he says. "I've had four matches back and I feel good but getting into match situations and taking wickets takes time."
Almost 28 years old and a veteran of elbow and back surgery as well as his recent problems, Lee accepts playing through pain as part of the job description.
But he still feels the international cricket schedule need to be modified to take some of the strain of players' bodies.
"It's not just the amount of cricket but the travelling and training," he explains.
"If you're playing in a pressure match then hopping on a flight your muscles seize up and you're going to be tired.
"It's got to be looked at in terms of where and who you're playing. We need four months off per year because the body needs time to recover."
Australia cannot wait to get stuck into New Zealand
Australia keep winning but Lee's place could be in doubt going into Thursday's ICC Champions Trophy clash with New Zealand.
With Michael Kasprowicz and Jason Gillespie in prime form, it looks like either Lee or Glenn McGrath will make way to accommodate an extra all-rounder in the team.
But captain Ricky Ponting is giving nothing away and Lee is upbeat about facing the Kiwis.
"It's always a big one and I think it's because we get on well and we're mates off the field," he continues.
"But it's a great challenge and once we get over that white [boundary] line the mateship goes."
He is affable and friendly off the pitch, but it does not pay to make an enemy of Brett Lee when you're out in the middle.
-MARTIN GOUGH