Lee is an express bowler, one of the fastest the game has known, and is capable of bowling at 160 km/h (99 mph). Lee's fastest recorded delivery to date is 160.8 km/h (99.9 mph) which he bowled in his first over on March 5, 2005 at Napier, New Zealand against Craig Cumming. He is also an athletic fielder and aggressive lower-order batsman with a batting average exceeding 20.

Lee ranks with Pakistani bowler Shoaib Akhtar as the fastest bowler in contemporary cricket. Akhtar's delivery at 161.4km/h (100.2mph) stands as the fastest recorded to date.

Lee's speed allows opposition batsmen less time to react, increasing their chances of making a mistake and has bowled with great accuracy as Australia's bowling spearhead. He has a Test bowling average of thirty, which sees him ranked in the 5th in the International Cricket Council's Test bowling rankings.