Michael Kasprowicz

Michael Kasprowicz

Australia

Full name Michael Scott Kasprowicz
Born February 10, 1972, South Brisbane, Queensland
Current age 35 years 19 days
Major teams Australia, Essex, Glamorgan, Leicestershire, Queensland
Nickname Kasper
Playing role Bowler
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium
Height 1.94 m

Statsguru

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	38	54	12	445	25	10.59	966	46.06	0	0	46	3	16	0
ODIs	43	13	9	74	28*	18.50	89	83.14	0	0	6	1	13	0
Twenty20 Int.	2	1	1	3	3*	-	5	60.00	0	0	0	0	2	0
First-class	237	319	74	4342	92	17.72			0	11			95	0
List A	220	106	40	955	40	14.46			0	0			47	0
Twenty20	9	8	2	71	31	11.83	61	116.39	0	0			3	0

Bowling averages

	Mat	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4	5	10
Tests	38	7140	3716	113	7/36	8/92	32.88	3.12	63.18	4	4	0
ODIs	43	2225	1674	67	5/45	5/45	24.98	4.51	33.20	1	2	0
Twenty20 Int.	2	42	57	5	4/29	4/29	11.40	8.14	8.40	1	0	0
First-class	237	48551	25042	944	9/36		26.52	3.09	51.43		51	6
List A	220	10790	7769	293	5/45	5/45	26.51	4.32	36.82	8	3	0
Twenty20	9	192	240	10	4/29	4/29	24.00	7.50	19.20	1	0	0

Career statistics
Test debut	Australia v West Indies at Brisbane - Nov 22-26, 1996
Last Test	South Africa v Australia at Johannesburg - Mar 31-Apr 4, 2006
ODI debut	Australia v West Indies at Melbourne - Dec 19, 1995
Last ODI	England v Australia at The Oval - Jul 12, 2005
Twenty20 Int. debut	New Zealand v Australia at Auckland - Feb 17, 2005
Last Twenty20 Int.	England v Australia at Southampton - Jun 13, 2005
First-class span	1989/90 - 2005/06
List A span	1989/90 - 2006/07
Twenty20 span	2003 - 2005/06

Profile

Michael Kasprowicz seems to have been smiling appeals forever. As a 17-year-old he studied Western Australia's top order on Queensland debut in 1989-90 while his schoolmates were sitting final exams, and continued to pop up in unexpected places. Like India. A swing bowler who learned to weave outswingers on Gabba greentops, Kasprowicz matured into a subcontinental specialist with reverse-swing, heavy cut and a this-isn't-too-hot-for-another-over attitude. He bravely carried an injury-hit attack struck by Navjot Sidhu and Sachin Tendulkar in 1997-98, popped back in 2001 and returned in 2004 to help end India's 35-year hold. After three years mostly spent refining his efficient yet aggressive action with Queensland and Glamorgan, Kasprowicz celebrated his fifth recall in 2004 with 13 matches, his longest Test run. During the wildly successful year the prongs of McGrath, Gillespie and Kasprowicz were so sharp that Brett Lee ran their refreshments.

To call Kasprowicz a workhorse is unflattering even though the description matches his size - he was an Australian Schoolboys rugby forward - and stamina. Regularly clocked faster than his new-ball counterparts (excluding Lee) from a shorter run, Kasprowicz's angle and dart-perfect line causes constant headaches for left-handers in the style of Paul Reiffel, another under-rated third wheel. He has become an important clean-up or go-to man and only four times in 2004 did he leave an innings without a wicket as he collected 47 victims. An intimidating and muscular presence at county and state level - he often broke bones in England and peer pressure from Pura Cup batsmen hurried his Test and one-day returns - Kasprowicz became Queensland's leading wicket-taker in 2003-04.

Popular and cheerful off the field, `Kasper' has experienced the lows of being 12th man for Queensland's first Sheffield Shield win in 1994-95, waiting five months and three Tests for his first wicket and completing a regular do-si-do for a national place with his best man Andy Bichel. However, his greatest miss came during the 2005 Ashes series when his courageous 59-run partnership with Brett Lee at Edgbaston ended three short of victory. After adding 20 he gloved a contentious catch behind and England levelled the series 1-1. Returning from that tour on the outer, he responded with 44 Pura Cup wickets for The Bulls and was recalled for the trip to South Africa, where he and Lee reversed their Birmingham nightmare with a 19-run stand that earned a nail-biting two-wicket victory.

Simon Katich

Simon Katich

Australia

Full name Simon Mathew Katich
Born August 21, 1975, Middle Swan, Western Australia
Current age 31 years 192 days
Major teams Australia, Durham, Hampshire, New South Wales, Western Australia, Yorkshire
Nickname Kat
Playing role Batsman
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Slow left-arm chinaman
Height 1.82 m

Statsguru

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	23	38	3	1260	125	36.00	2548	49.45	2	8	155	3	15	0
ODIs	45	42	5	1324	107*	35.78	1926	68.74	1	9	138	4	13	0
Twenty20 Int.	3	2	0	69	39	34.50	47	146.80	0	0	8	2	2	0
First-class	153	262	34	11314	228*	49.62			30	60			142	0
List A	186	180	21	6172	136*	38.81			7	48			85	0
Twenty20	12	11	3	374	59*	46.75	299	125.08	0	2			5	0

Bowling averages

	Mat	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4	5	10
Tests	23	659	406	12	6/65	6/90	33.83	3.69	54.91	0	1	0
ODIs	45	0	0	0	-	-	-	-	-	0	0	0
Twenty20 Int.	3	0	0	0	-	-	-	-	-	0	0	0
First-class	153	4973	2986	78	7/130		38.28	3.60	63.75		3	0
List A	186	823	766	24	3/21	3/21	31.91	5.58	34.29	0	0	0
Twenty20	12	0	0	0	-	-	-	-	-	0	0	0

Career statistics
Test debut	England v Australia at Leeds - Aug 16-20, 2001
Last Test	Australia v West Indies at Brisbane - Nov 3-7, 2005
ODI debut	Australia v Zimbabwe at Melbourne - Jan 21, 2001
Last ODI	Australia v West Indies at Kuala Lumpur - Sep 24, 2006
Twenty20 Int. debut	New Zealand v Australia at Auckland - Feb 17, 2005
Last Twenty20 Int.	South Africa v Australia at Johannesburg - Feb 24, 2006
First-class span	1996/97 - 2006/07
List A span	1995/96 - 2006/07
Twenty20 span	2003 - 2006/07

Notes

State Player of the Year - 2004

Profile

For Simon Katich 2005-06 was the most difficult season of his career. Lost from the Test radar after being bamboozled by Muttiah Muralitharan in the Super Series and failing against West Indies, he spent the rest of the summer clinging to his one-day spot ahead of Phil Jaques and Matthew Hayden. But as he sat in the Gabba's gymnasium after his first ODI century helped Australia to a come-from-behind victory in the VB Series finals, he knew he'd survived. "It's one thing I've managed to do this summer - hang in there," he said. The sleepless nights could stop for a while. Despite being the pyjama side's third-highest run-scorer in Australia last summer, Katich also knows the top of the limited-overs order, a vacancy he has filled since being touted as a World Cup opener in 2004-05, will not be a safe seat. As Adam Gilchrist's rockets launch in the first 15 overs, Katich deflects arrows and absorbs punches as he follows the team management plan. His batting is not pretty or powerful and he may not be many young boys' role model, but the side recognises his importance as a vital role player, especially in a top-order crisis.

A batting backlog is blocking a Test return and at 30 Katich faces a fight against the clock to add to his 23 matches. Ever since he was included in Western Australia's state squad in 1994-95 he looked destined for bigger things. His talents were on show in 1998-99 when he amassed 1039 first-class runs, including 115 in the final won by Western Australia, and earned a spot on the tour to Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. Katich was on the brink of a Test call-up in Sri Lanka when he contracted chicken pox and was quarantined. Unable to free himself of a virus that overcame him in the wake of that illness, he was forced to sit out much of the 1999-2000 domestic summer, but after a stellar 2000-01 - 1282 first-class runs and a century against every state - he was picked for the 2001 Ashes tour. Replacing the injured Steve Waugh for the fourth Test, he made 15 and 0 not out on debut and had to wait two years for an opportunity against Zimbabwe, when his occasional left-arm chinaman bowling was surprisingly effective. He took 6 for 65 in the second innings in Sydney, which is now his home after switching to New South Wales and accepting the captaincy. Returning to the SCG later in the summer against India, he registered his maiden Test century and helped to ensure Waugh's final Test ended in a draw instead of a loss.

Dropped for the first two matches in Sri Lanka in 2004, he was elevated to Ricky Ponting's place at No. 3 in India later that year and played with an eerie calmness. The highlight and lowlight came in the same innings - his 99 in the third-Test victory at Nagpur. His good form continued in Australia's tour of New Zealand in 2005 when a silky hundred in the first Test was overshadowed by yet another violent innings from Gilchrist, but his elegant display sealed his spot for a second Ashes tour. The troubles of the past year began in England when he was upset by the reverse-swing and was downgraded to a one-day only role shortly after returning home.

Brett Lee

Brett Lee

Australia

Full name Brett Lee
Born November 8, 1976, Wollongong, New South Wales
Current age 30 years 113 days
Major teams Australia, New South Wales
Nickname Bing
Playing role Bowler
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast
Height 1.87 m

Statsguru

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	59	65	13	1098	64	21.11	1962	55.96	0	3	132	15	17	0
ODIs	150	68	27	739	57	18.02	901	82.01	0	2	37	22	35	0
Twenty20 Int.	3	2	1	58	43*	58.00	41	141.46	0	0	5	2	0	0
First-class	94	108	20	1644	79	18.68	2963	55.48	0	5			28	0
List A	179	84	35	848	57	17.30			0	2			39	0
Twenty20	3	2	1	58	43*	58.00	41	141.46	0	0			0	0

Bowling averages

	Mat	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4	5	10
Tests	59	12279	7300	231	5/30	8/123	31.60	3.56	53.15	11	7	0
ODIs	150	7729	6048	267	5/22	5/22	22.65	4.69	28.94	11	6	0
Twenty20 Int.	3	60	72	1	1/26	1/26	72.00	7.20	60.00	0	0	0
First-class	94	18862	10844	392	7/114		27.66	3.44	48.11		16	2
List A	179	9300	7129	305	5/22	5/22	23.37	4.59	30.49	12	6	0
Twenty20	3	60	72	1	1/26	1/26	72.00	7.20	60.00	0	0	0

Career statistics
Test debut	Australia v India at Melbourne - Dec 26-30, 1999
Last Test	Australia v England at Sydney - Jan 2-5, 2007
ODI debut	Australia v Pakistan at Brisbane - Jan 9, 2000
Last ODI	Australia v England at Sydney - Feb 11, 2007
Twenty20 Int. debut	New Zealand v Australia at Auckland - Feb 17, 2005
Last Twenty20 Int.	South Africa v Australia at Johannesburg - Feb 24, 2006
First-class span	1994/95 - 2006/07
List A span	1997/98 - 2006/07
Twenty20 span	2004/05 - 2005/06

Notes

Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year - 2000
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2006

Profile

If Brett Lee were a Ferrari ... No. There is no if. He is already the fastest in the world, equal with Shoaib Akhtar at a flicker above or below 100mph, and always seems on the verge of striking a body or a wicket. At the 2003 World Cup, during which he took a ferocious hat-trick against Kenya, Lee was a polished star, while Shoaib was a novelty act. It was the same in the 2004-05 VB Series - Lee's pace was blinding; Shoaib's was hamstrung. When Lee releases the throttle and begins that smooth acceleration, the spectator stays his drinking hand. The leaping, classical delivery may produce a devastating yorker, a devilish slower ball or a young-Donald outswinger. Add a dash of peroxide, a fruity vocabulary, a trademark jump for joy, a stylish bat, a streak of sadism when bowling at tailenders, a pop group (Six And Out), and an endearing dedication to a job at a gentleman's outfitters, and you have the 21st century's first designer cricketer - not to mention a priceless pin-up boy.

While Steve Waugh unleashed him in a dramatic opening of 42 wickets in seven Tests before an elbow operation, Ricky Ponting gave Lee a blueprint for lasting success that didn't rely solely on bouncers or yorkers. "The way that Ricky has captained my personal bowling over the last couple of years has just been brilliant," he said early in 2006. "Going back two or three years, I wasn't really sure what they wanted me to do." Lee's next statistical goals are 250 wickets and an average below 30, while status as an allrounder is another wish.

Lee's career hasn't always been easy. He struggled against accusations of throwing, bean balls, stress fractures and other injuries, and had a strangely barren first Ashes series in 2001. Three years later he U-turned from ankle surgery, but was stuck in the pits of the dressing room as he ran drinks and sponges in nine consecutive Tests. He returned to the fold for the 2005 Ashes series and earned plaudits for his never-say-die attitude and brave performances with both bat and ball. He nearly pulled off a win for Australia with a battling 43 at Edgbaston, but his partner-in-crime Michael Kasprowicz fell at the contentious final hurdle. Andrew Flintoff's consoling of Lee seconds after the catch was 2005's defining image.

Lee's 2006 brightened further when he partnered Kasprowicz in a nail-biting win over South Africa that eased the pain of the previous near-miss. It was an important summer as he assumed the role of attack leader when Glenn McGrath first struggled for impact and then pulled out of tours to South Africa and Bangladesh to care for his sick wife. Lee moved into the position he had craved since crashing on to the Test scene with 5 for 47 against India, and he celebrated 89 international wickets for the season with lawnmower, hunting and leaping celebrations. A summer later he earned 20 wickets in the Ashes series and was on track for the World Cup before suffering an ankle injury in New Zealand.

Stuart MacGill

Stuart MacGill

Australia

Full name Stuart Charles Glyndwr MacGill
Born February 25, 1971, Mount Lawley, Perth, Western Australia
Current age 36 years 4 days
Major teams Australia, Devon, New South Wales, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Western Australia
Nickname Mac
Playing role Bowler
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Legbreak googly
Height 1.83 m
Statsguru

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	40	45	11	347	43	10.20	702	49.43	0	0	38	2	16	0
ODIs	3	2	1	1	1	1.00	3	33.33	0	0	0	0	2	0
First-class	171	203	53	1522	56*	10.14			0	2			72	0
List A	107	41	19	171	26	7.77			0	0			22	0
Twenty20	5	2	1	13	8*	13.00	11	118.18	0	0			1	0

Bowling averages

	Mat	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4	5	10
Tests	40	10211	5387	198	8/108	12/107	27.20	3.16	51.57	9	12	2
ODIs	3	180	105	6	4/19	4/19	17.50	3.50	30.00	1	0	0
First-class	171	38053	21528	728	8/108		29.57	3.39	52.27		41	6
List A	107	5228	4347	193	5/40	5/40	22.52	4.98	27.08	10	4	0
Twenty20	5	104	144	6	3/42	3/42	24.00	8.30	17.33	0	0	0

Career statistics
Test debut	Australia v South Africa at Adelaide - Jan 30-Feb 3, 1998
Last Test	Bangladesh v Australia at Chittagong (CDS) - Apr 16-20, 2006
ODI debut	Australia v Pakistan at Sydney - Jan 19, 2000
Last ODI	Australia v India at Adelaide - Jan 26, 2000
First-class span	1993/94 - 2006/07
List A span	1997 - 2006/07
Twenty20 span	2003

Profile

The praise lavished on his decision to boycott Zimbabwe in 2004 because of moral concerns continued an unwelcome pattern in the life of Stuart MacGill: he has long generated headlines for being out of the Australian team rather than for his performances in it. An old-fashioned operator with a gargantuan legbreak and majestic wrong'un, MacGill has the best strike-rate and worst luck of any modern spin bowler. His misfortune has been to play alongside Shane Warne in an age when Australia, the land of Grimmett and O'Reilly, have paradoxically frowned on the concept of fielding two wrist-spinners at once. After showing they could work in tandem with 13 wickets against Pakistan at Sydney in 2005, MacGill hoped - almost pleaded - for more double-act opportunities. Playing seven matches in 2005-06, he dismantled the World XI with nine victims and probably waved goodbye to overseas touring life in taking 16 wickets in the two-game series against Bangladesh.

MacGill has stayed philosophical throughout his career, eagerly running in and invariably running amok. He bewitched 53 wickets in 11 Tests during Warne's 12-month drugs ban in 2003-04, yet was maligned for bowling one boundary-ball per over; a shade unfairly, considering that was the standard modus operandi for all leggies pre-Warne. A batting duffer and increasingly feckless fielder, he has played only three one-day internationals despite collecting his domestic scalps at a stupefying rate of one every 27 balls. Unusually for a bowler, MacGill seldom smiles upon taking a wicket. Instead he lets out a roar of accomplishment. "People ask me why I don't smile - it's because it's really hard," he explained in 2003-04. "Test cricket's hard ... I'll take a wicket and there'll be an explosion of emotion." It is one of MacGill's many quirks. He is a wine connoisseur who only recently learned to enjoy the taste of beer, and he once read 24 novels on a tour of Pakistan. The son and grandson of West Australian state players, he socialises with friends who aren't cricketers and is often portrayed as a thinker, a misfit, the odd man out. It is something he plays down - although, tellingly, no other Australian cricketer felt compelled by their conscience to stand out of touring Zimbabwe. Australia's next scheduled Test trip is to Zimbabwe in 2007 and MacGill's mind has not changed.

Glenn McGrath

Glenn McGrath

Australia

Full name Glenn Donald McGrath
Born February 9, 1970, Dubbo, New South Wales
Current age 37 years 20 days
Major teams Australia, ICC World XI, Middlesex, New South Wales, Worcestershire
Nickname Pigeon, Millard
Playing role Bowler
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium
Height 1.95 m
Education Narromine Primary; Narromine High School

Statsguru

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	124	138	51	641	61	7.36	1570	40.82	0	1	51	1	38	0
ODIs	239	68	38	115	11	3.83	236	48.72	0	0	7	0	36	0
Twenty20 Int.	2	1	0	5	5	5.00	12	41.66	0	0	0	0	1	0
First-class	189	193	67	977	61	7.75			0	2			54	0
List A	292	78	43	123	11	3.51	268	45.89	0	0			46	0
Twenty20	2	1	0	5	5	5.00	12	41.66	0	0			1	0

Bowling averages

	Mat	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4	5	10
Tests	124	29248	12186	563	8/24	10/27	21.64	2.49	51.95	28	29	3
ODIs	239	12485	8034	355	7/15	7/15	22.63	3.86	35.16	9	7	0
Twenty20 Int.	2	48	79	5	3/31	3/31	15.80	9.87	9.60	0	0	0
First-class	189	41759	17414	835	8/24		20.85	2.50	50.01		42	7
List A	292	15209	9586	432	7/15	7/15	22.18	3.78	35.20	15	7	0
Twenty20	2	48	79	5	3/31	3/31	15.80	9.87	9.60	0	0	0

Career statistics
Test debut	Australia v New Zealand at Perth - Nov 12-16, 1993
Last Test	Australia v England at Sydney - Jan 2-5, 2007
ODI debut	Australia v South Africa at Melbourne - Dec 9, 1993
Last ODI	New Zealand v Australia at Auckland - Feb 18, 2007
Twenty20 Int. debut	New Zealand v Australia at Auckland - Feb 17, 2005
Last Twenty20 Int.	England v Australia at Southampton - Jun 13, 2005
First-class span	1992/93 - 2006/07
List A span	1992/93 - 2006/07
Twenty20 span	2004/05 - 2005

Notes

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1998
Wisden Australia Cricketer of the Year 1999
Allan Border Medal 2000
Test Player of the Year - 2000
One-Day International Player of the Year - 2001
Wisden Australia Cricketer of the Year 2005-06

Profile

The young Glenn McGrath was described by Mike Whitney as "thin - but Ambrose-thin, not Bruce Reid-thin". Much later, Mike Atherton compared McGrath to Ambrose on a vaster scale. Catapulted from the outback of New South Wales into Test cricket to replace Merv Hughes in 1993, McGrath became, after a faltering start, the great Australian paceman of his time. And after passing Courtney Walsh's 519 wickets in the 2005 Super Test only Dennis Lillee threatens his title as the greatest Australian fast man of all time. His obituary has been prepared a few times - he was doubted after coming back in 2004 from ankle surgery and there were similar fears following a long lay-off to care for his wife two years later - but he wrote his own farewell by retiring from Tests on his home ground. Apart from bowing out with a 5-0 Ashes win, he walked of the SCG with a wicket from his final ball to capture his 563th victim. The World Cup will be his last tour as an international before he becomes a full-time Dad.

McGrath bowled an unremitting off-stump line and an immaculate length, gained off-cut and bounce, specialised in the opposition's biggest wickets - especially Atherton's and Brian Lara's - was unafraid to back himself publicly in these key duels, and showed himself to be unusually durable. He was a batting rabbit who applied himself so intently that while playing for Worcestershire he won a bet with an Australian team-mate by posting a fifty. The work eventually paid off in Tests when he made 61, the third-highest score by a No. 11, against New Zealand in 2004-05. Only in his occasional fits of ill-temper did he fail himself.

He rewrote the World Cup record-books in 2003 with 7 for 15 against the outclassed Namibians, on his way to adding another winner's medal to a bulging collection. An ankle injury threatened to derail his quest for 500 Test wickets, but after briefly contemplating retirement he bounced back with yet another five-wicket haul against Sri Lanka at Darwin in July 2004. Three months later, at Nagpur, he became the first fast bowler to play 100 matches in the baggy green, and his greatness was further confirmed when knocking down the brittle Pakistanis at Perth with 8 for 24, the second-best figures by an Australian.

Adept at picking his moments, he chose the first day at Lord's to reach 500 and his subsequent ankle and arm injuries were crucial to Australia losing the series. The following summer was also painfully disrupted with the reoccurrence of his wife Jane's cancer, which called for immediate treatment and McGrath's full attention. He pulled out of the VB Series finals as well as tours to South Africa and Bangladesh, but he returned to help Australia reclaim the urn.

Damien Martyn

Damien Martyn

Australia

Full name Damien Richard Martyn
Born October 21, 1971, Darwin, Northern Territory
Current age 35 years 131 days
Major teams Australia, Leicestershire, Western Australia, Yorkshire
Nickname Marto
Playing role Higher middle order batsman
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium
Height 1.81 m

Statsguru

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	67	109	14	4406	165	46.37	8569	51.41	13	23	513	10	36	0
ODIs	208	182	51	5346	144*	40.80	6877	77.73	5	37	441	22	69	0
Twenty20 Int.	4	4	0	120	96	30.00	74	162.16	0	1	11	5	1	0
First-class	204	343	46	14630	238	49.25			44	73			158	2
List A	297	264	64	8567	144*	42.83			10	60			102	0
Twenty20	5	5	0	156	96	31.20	93	167.74	0	1			3	0

Bowling averages

	Mat	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4	5	10
Tests	67	348	168	2	1/0	1/4	84.00	2.89	174.00	0	0	0
ODIs	208	794	704	12	2/21	2/21	58.66	5.31	66.16	0	0	0
Twenty20 Int.	4	0	0	0	-	-	-	-	-	0	0	0
First-class	204	3365	1563	37	4/30		42.24	2.78	90.94		0	0
List A	297	1549	1300	41	3/3	3/3	31.70	5.03	37.78	0	0	0
Twenty20	5	0	0	0	-	-	-	-	-	0	0	0

Career statistics
Test debut	Australia v West Indies at Brisbane - Nov 27-Dec 1, 1992
Last Test	Australia v England at Adelaide - Dec 1-5, 2006
ODI debut	Australia v West Indies at Sydney - Dec 8, 1992
Last ODI	Australia v West Indies at Mumbai (BS) - Nov 5, 2006
Twenty20 Int. debut	New Zealand v Australia at Auckland - Feb 17, 2005
Last Twenty20 Int.	South Africa v Australia at Johannesburg - Feb 24, 2006
First-class span	1990/91 - 2006/07
List A span	1991/92 - 2006/07
Twenty20 span	2004/05 - 2005/06

Notes

Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2002
Walter Lawrence Trophy 2003
Test Player of the Year - 2005

Profile

No contemporary cricketer, Tendulkar aside, made batting look so simple as Damien Martyn. But it was not always thus. For the brash 21-year-old who waltzed into the Australian team at Dean Jones's expense, batting was an exercise in extravagance. To defend was to display weakness - a policy that backfired in 1993-94 when Martyn's airy square-drive at a crucial moment in Sydney triggered a five-run defeat by South Africa and a seven-year hitch to his own promising career. By the time Western Australia, wanting a pretty face to spearhead their marketing campaign, had made him captain at 23, Martyn looked a tormented man. All the more remarkable, then, that he blossomed into a relaxed, classical, feathery artist. He was an elastic fieldsman and an old-style batsman whose first movement was back. He played with a high elbow, a still head, a golfer's deft touch, and had all the shots, including perhaps the most brutal reverse-sweep in the game.

Mostly, though, Martyn stuck to the textbook and composed pristine hundreds which, like the feats of the best wicketkeepers, passed almost unnoticed: an observation supported by the curious fact that, despite a Test average in the fifties, he reached the age of 30 without winning a Man-of-the-Match award. He was the quiet man of the 2003 World Cup-raising side, too, playing a minor role until he spanked 88 not out in the final - with a broken finger that later kept him out of a West Indian tour. His magnificent 13-month streak of 1608 Test runs at 61 and two Man-of-the-Series prizes from March 2004 finally moved him from the dressing-room shadows to the more uncomfortable limelight. Showing his hard-earned versatility, he crafted seven centuries on surfaces ranging from raging turners in Sri Lanka and India to green seamers in New Zealand and the hard bounce of home.

The flood ended in England and following a series of 178 runs and a couple of horrid umpiring decisions he was the major casualty of the Ashes loss. Retaining a one-day spot, he expected his five-day days were over - "If that's my last Test match, well, I've had a great time" - but was reprieved when the selectors wanted experience for the South Africa tour. As the decision to ignore policy by looking back to a 34 year old became increasingly doubtful, Martyn repaid with a nerveless 101 that led to victory in the final Test. After being a key part in Australia's first Champions Trophy success, he struggled in the opening two Tests of the Ashes series and swiftly retired.

Ricky Ponting

Ricky Ponting

Australia

Full name Ricky Thomas Ponting
Born December 19, 1974, Launceston, Tasmania
Current age 32 years 72 days
Major teams Australia, ICC World XI, Somerset, Tasmania
Nickname Punter
Playing role Higher middle order batsman
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium
Height 1.78 m
Education Mowbray Primary; Brooks Senior High School, Launceston

Statsguru

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	110	183	25	9368	257	59.29	15890	58.95	33	36	1059	57	124	0
ODIs	269	263	31	9856	164	42.48	12385	79.58	22	58	845	121	117	0
Twenty20 Int.	5	5	1	178	98*	44.50	110	161.81	0	1	14	9	3	0
First-class	205	345	50	17750	257	60.16			66	71			208	0
List A	336	330	43	12034	164	41.93			25	73			148	0
Twenty20	6	6	1	198	98*	39.60	130	152.30	0	1			3	0

Bowling averages

	Mat	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4	5	10
Tests	110	527	231	5	1/0	1/0	46.20	2.62	105.40	0	0	0
ODIs	269	150	104	3	1/12	1/12	34.66	4.16	50.00	0	0	0
Twenty20 Int.	5	0	0	0	-	-	-	-	-	0	0	0
First-class	205	1422	757	14	2/10		54.07	3.19	101.57		0	0
List A	336	349	269	8	3/34	3/34	33.62	4.62	43.62	0	0	0
Twenty20	6	0	0	0	-	-	-	-	-	0	0	0

Career statistics
Test debut	Australia v Sri Lanka at Perth - Dec 8-11, 1999
Last Test	Australia v England at Sydney - Jan 2-5, 2007
ODI debut	Australia v South Africa at Wellington - Feb 15, 1995
Last ODI	Australia v England at Sydney - Feb 11, 2007
Twenty20 Int. debut	New Zealand v Australia at Auckland - Feb 17, 2005
Last Twenty20 Int.	Australia v England at Sydney - Jan 9, 2007
First-class span	1992/93 - 2006/07
List A span	1992/93 - 2006/07
Twenty20 span	2004 - 2006/07

Notes

ICC Player of the Year 2006
ICC Test Player of the Year - 2003, 2004, 2006
One-Day International Player of the Year - 2002
Allan Border Medal 2004, 2006, 2007
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2006

Profile

Acclaimed by academy coach Rod Marsh as the best teenage batsman he had ever seen, Ricky Ponting began with Tasmania at 17 and Australia at 20, and was given out unluckily for 96 on his Test debut. He was and remains the archetypal modern cricketer: he plays all the shots with a full flourish of the bat and knows only to attack, and his breathtaking, dead-eye fielding is a force in the game by itself. A gambler and a buccaneer, he is a natural at one-day cricket. He has had his setbacks, against probing seam attacks and high-class finger-spin, which, when out of form, he plays with hard hands. In the 1990s there were off-field indiscretions that led him once to admit publicly to an alcohol problem, but he overcame the issues and became part of the heartbeat of one of Australia's most successful teams. After the retirement of Ian Healy he took over as the man who led the singing of the victory song, passing it on when he assumed the captaincy.

With many lessons learned, Ponting's growing maturity was acknowledged by the ACB when he saw off competition from Shane Warne and Adam Gilchrist to succeed Steve Waugh as Australia's one-day leader early in 2002. It was a seamless transition: Ponting led the successful 2003 World Cup campaign from the front, clouting a coruscating 140 not out in the final, and acceded to the Test crown when Waugh finally stepped down early in 2004. A broken thumb suffered in the Champions Trophy in England forced him to watch Gilchrist lead Australia's first series victory in India for 35 years from the dressing room, although he returned for the final Test. Batting-wise his first year as captain was one to forget, but he began his second with 207 against Pakistan, joining Don Bradman and Greg Chappell as the only Australians to reach four double-centuries.

By the time the eagerly-awaited 2005 Ashes series got underway the cracks in an almost invincible Australian side were beginning to appear. A humiliating one-day loss to Bangladesh caused the first ripple of dissent against his leadership style, and this grew as the contest progressed. A heroic 156 helped save the Old Trafford Test, but on September 12, 2005, Ponting became the first Australian captain since Allan Border in 1986-87 to taste defeat in an Ashes series. The result hurt and the pain lingered throughout the next summer, but he regrouped and reglued to start an amazing streak of 16 wins in 17 Tests, culminating in the 5-0 demolition of England to regain the urn in the most emphatic way. However, the summer was tarnished slightly when England handed Australia their first tri-series finals loss for 14 years and he missed the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy defeat with a back injury. In the Tests Ponting was Man of the Series as Australia became the first team in 86 years to achieve an Ashes cleansweep and his 576 runs at 82.28 confirmed him as the game's modern master.

Waugh believes his successor will hold the game's run-scoring record when he retires. The world's leading strokeplayer, he finished 2005 with 1544 runs and posted twin hundreds three times in five months, joining Sunil Gavaskar as the only other man to achieve the feat, and the double effort in his 100th Test at the SCG was magnificent. He followed up with another 1333 runs in 2006 and owns more centuries than anyone but Sachin, Brian and Sunny. Frighteningly, he is far from finished.

Andrew Symonds

Andrew Symonds

Australia

Full name Andrew Symonds
Born June 9, 1975, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England
Current age 31 years 265 days
Major teams Australia, Gloucestershire, Kent, Lancashire, Queensland
Nickname Roy
Playing role All-rounder
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium, Right-arm offbreak
Height 1.87 m

Statsguru

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	13	19	0	518	156	27.26	850	60.94	1	2	50	14	13	0
ODIs	161	128	24	4037	156	38.81	4386	92.04	5	21	359	80	69	0
Twenty20 Int.	4	4	2	125	54*	62.50	63	198.41	0	1	13	5	1	0
First-class	203	336	28	13124	254*	42.61			39	54			145	0
List A	377	334	42	9783	156	33.50			8	53			166	0
Twenty20	17	17	5	568	112	47.33	282	201.41	1	4			9	0

Bowling averages

	Mat	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4	5	10
Tests	13	1080	488	11	3/50	5/56	44.36	2.71	98.18	0	0	0
ODIs	161	5454	4524	121	5/18	5/18	37.38	4.97	45.07	2	1	0
Twenty20 Int.	4	84	97	7	2/14	2/14	13.85	6.92	12.00	0	0	0
First-class	203	15869	7900	218	6/105		36.23	2.98	72.79		2	0
List A	377	10923	8647	267	6/14	6/14	32.38	4.74	40.91	2	4	0
Twenty20	17	326	393	16	2/14	2/14	24.56	7.23	20.37	0	0	0

Career statistics
Test debut	Sri Lanka v Australia at Galle - Mar 8-12, 2004
Last Test	Australia v England at Sydney - Jan 2-5, 2007
ODI debut	Pakistan v Australia at Lahore - Nov 10, 1998
Last ODI	Australia v England at Sydney - Feb 2, 2007
Twenty20 Int. debut	New Zealand v Australia at Auckland - Feb 17, 2005
Last Twenty20 Int.	Australia v England at Sydney - Jan 9, 2007
First-class span	1994/95 - 2006/07
List A span	1993/94 - 2006/07
Twenty20 span	2003 - 2006/07

Notes

One-Day International Player of the Year - 2005

Profile

Andrew Symonds brings gusto to whatever he does, whether firing down offbreaks or mediums, hurling his ungainly bulk round the field or vigorously ruffling the bowler's hair at the celebration of a wicket. He saves his loudest grunt for his batting, where he is that rarest of modern-day creatures - an unabashed six-hitter in the mould of a George Bonnor or a Colin Milburn or a David Hookes. Batting for Gloucestershire at 20, he scythed 16 sixes in the first dig [a world record] against Glamorgan at Abergavenny, 20 for the match [another first], and then announced he couldn't care less about the milestone; he wanted only to help his team. He has been matter-of-factly demolishing attacks ever since. His flaw has been to attempt one six too many - invariably off the wrong ball.

"I used to hate watching him bat," his old coach Toot Byron once lamented. "He wasn't in control of his shot-selection ... he'd get 24 off an over and then go out on the last ball of that over." Legend has it that Symonds, a dreadlocked Queensland larrikin, once turned up barefoot and wearing a cowboy hat for a contract meeting with Cricket Australia's then-chief executive Malcolm Speed. He also graciously ruled himself ineligible for any award at the 2006 Allan Border Medal - he would have been the One-Day Player of the Year - after being suspended for turning up drunk before Australia's embarrassing loss to Bangladesh on the Ashes tour.

During almost five years in and out of the one-day side he frittered away golden opportunities galore. One day changed everything. Striding out with his team in turmoil against Pakistan in the 2003 World Cup, a game and tournament he never expected to play in, Symonds sculpted a masterly 143 not out in 125 balls. Until that day, he had mustered just 762 one-day runs at only 23; ever since he has averaged more than 45 and become a hero to the masses. "In the past," he admits, "I was a man without a map when I went out to bat." Now he understands his one-day role perfectly - he could claim to be the side's most valuable player after pounding three hundreds and taking 21 wickets in 2005-06. His impact to the limited-overs outfit was shown this summer after he ripped the tendon from his arm playing a fierce drive and the team struggled to its worst losing streak in a decade. Symonds is not the only one hoping he'll make it to the World Cup.

Born in Birmingham, Symonds could have played for England but dreamed only of wearing the baggy green. In 2004 his fantasy was fulfilled in decidedly unGabbalike surroundings: the crackling minefields of Sri Lanka. He batted gamely without looking altogether comfortable, and was dumped after two Tests. Almost two years later he received an extended run as Australia's selectors searched for an answer to Andrew Flintoff, but he couldn't consistently mirror his one-day performances. Faced with the axe, he cracked a huge six at the MCG to open his scoring in a pressure-relieving 72 from 54 balls, which included a ground record five maximums, but was dropped on the Bangladesh tour after struggling for reliable impact in the previous series against South Africa. Given another opportunity when Shane Watson was injured and Damien Martyn retired, he appeared in his first Ashes series and reached a career high in his second game with 156 at the MCG. Batting with his fishing friend Matthew Hayden, he showed he had the mindset to make it at Test level.

Shaun Tait

Shaun Tait

Australia

Full name Shaun William Tait
Born February 22, 1983, Bedford Park, Adelaide, South Australia
Current age 24 years 7 days
Major teams Australia, Durham, South Australia
Nickname Sloon
Playing role Bowler
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast
Height 1.93 m

Statsguru

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	2	3	2	8	4	8.00	27	29.62	0	0	1	0	0	0
ODIs	4	1	0	11	11	11.00	10	110.00	0	0	1	1	0	0
First-class	43	61	26	443	68	12.65	869	50.97	0	2			10	0
List A	42	19	10	59	22*	6.55	103	57.28	0	0			7	0
Twenty20	5	3	2	39	14*	39.00	38	102.63	0	0			1	0

Bowling averages

	Mat	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4	5	10
Tests	2	288	210	5	3/97	3/121	42.00	4.37	57.60	0	0	0
ODIs	4	234	218	5	2/60	2/60	43.60	5.58	46.80	0	0	0
First-class	43	7838	4756	174	7/99		27.33	3.64	45.04	17	6	0
List A	42	2144	1745	76	8/43	8/43	22.96	4.88	28.21	4	2	0
Twenty20	5	104	116	9	4/14	4/14	12.88	6.69	11.55	1	0	0

Career statistics
Test debut	England v Australia at Nottingham - Aug 25-29, 2005
Last Test	England v Australia at The Oval - Sep 8-12, 2005
ODI debut	Australia v England at Sydney - Feb 2, 2007
Last ODI	New Zealand v Australia at Hamilton - Feb 20, 2007
First-class span	2002/03 - 2006/07
List A span	2002/03 - 2006/07
Twenty20 span	2004/05 - 2006/07

Notes

Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year - 2004

Profile

Shaun Tait's shoulder-strong action slung him on to the 2005 Ashes tour, where he played two Tests ahead of his more celebrated South Australia team-mate Jason Gillespie, but it soon disrupted his quest for further international impact. With a muscular and unrefined method that seems to invite pain, Tait returned from England buoyed by his promotion only to hurt himself in a grade match and the subsequent shoulder surgery forced him out for the rest of the year. Fortunately he experienced no damage to his frightening pace stores, although he was surprised how easily his thunderbolts disappeared at Trent Bridge and The Oval.

Despite the injuries - a back problem suffered in the nets ended his trip to South Africa and a hamstring complaint delayed his ODI entry - his old-fashioned approach of yorkers and bumpers mixed with a modern dose of sharp reverse-swing has excited followers who cross fingers Tait and Lee can be the 21st century's version of Lillee and Thomson. "That's what I've had in the back of my mind as well," he said when asked if the pair could replicate the 1970s icons. To confirm the point he even shines the ball across his chest and finished his first Test day with a splash of red on his shirt as well as the wickets of Marcus Trescothick and Ian Bell. Unlike his tearaway predecessors, he can't live without his Playstation 2.

The Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year in 2003-04, Tait also picked up the ING Cup's Best New Talent prize, chiefly for his 8 for 43 against Tasmania, the best figures in domestic limited-overs history. When Lee was injured Tait was taken as a development player on the Sri Lanka tour, where he introduced himself to the newly installed captain Ricky Ponting in the nets by hitting him in the head with a bouncer. His early beginnings might have been spicy, but his follow-up year was even tastier with 65 first-class wickets in ten matches. An abbreviated 2005-06 included 6 for 41 in the ING Cup Final, which included an amazing combination of spot-on speed and 14 wides, and he backed up the following season to earn his first start in the national one-day side.

In two matches he showed his range, giving up 2 for 68 and 1 for 26 from his ten overs, and clocked 160kph. It won him a World Cup spot and proved Dennis Lillee's belief he "has all the resources to stick the ball right up the noses of the batsmen". A child of the Adelaide Hills, he received his best advice at the age of seven when his father suggested he play cricket.

Shane Watson

Shane Watson

Australia

Full name Shane Robert Watson
Born June 17, 1981, Ipswich, Queensland
Current age 25 years 257 days
Major teams Australia, Hampshire, Queensland, Tasmania
Nickname Watto
Playing role All-rounder
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm fast-medium
Height 1.83 m

Statsguru

Batting and fielding averages

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	3	4	0	81	31	20.25	212	38.20	0	0	8	0	0	0
ODIs	57	41	13	856	79	30.57	1166	73.41	0	6	68	9	13	0
Twenty20 Int.	1	1	0	4	4	4.00	6	66.66	0	0	0	0	0	0
First-class	55	94	14	3938	203*	49.22			11	19			37	0
List A	115	96	20	2528	132	33.26	3376	74.88	2	16			27	0
Twenty20	8	8	1	134	97*	19.14	113	118.58	0	1			4	0

Bowling averages

	Mat	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4	5	10
Tests	3	186	123	2	1/25	1/25	61.50	3.96	93.00	0	0	0
ODIs	57	2326	1898	58	4/39	4/39	32.72	4.89	40.10	2	0	0
Twenty20 Int.	1	18	35	1	1/35	1/35	35.00	11.66	18.00	0	0	0
First-class	55	5226	3106	103	6/32		30.15	3.56	50.73		2	1
List A	115	4011	3404	96	4/39	4/39	35.45	5.09	41.78	2	0	0
Twenty20	8	66	94	5	3/30	3/30	18.80	8.54	13.20	0	0	0

Test debut	Australia v Pakistan at Sydney - Jan 2-5, 2005
Last Test	Australia v West Indies at Brisbane - Nov 3-7, 2005
ODI debut	South Africa v Australia at Centurion - Mar 24, 2002
Last ODI	New Zealand v Australia at Hamilton - Feb 20, 2007
Only Twenty20 Int.	South Africa v Australia at Johannesburg - Feb 24, 2006
First-class span	2000/01 - 2006/07
List A span	2000/01 - 2006/07
Twenty20 span	2004 - 2006

Notes

Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year - 2002

Profile

Hulklike, blond and spiky-haired, Shane Watson should be the shiny embodiment of modern-day Australian cricket - if only that body didn't keep cracking up. Vivacious in all departments, he is the quintessential young man in a hurry. As a boy he played for Queensland Under-17s at 15, then went to the Academy. As a youth he upped and fled to Tasmania, desperate to gatecrash first-class cricket. Within five games he had clubbed his maiden hundred; within a year he was picked for Australia. Talent-spotted with the 2003 World Cup in mind, he ultimately missed out with stress fractures of the back - the same injury that riddled his teenage years. Until then his batting had lacked nothing in swagger and only a little in gap-finding artifice, while his bowling looked willing if docile. Apart from a nude photoshoot in an arty men's mag he faded swiftly from view, bouncing back in 2003-04 with four hundreds from No. 4 for Tasmania. He smashed an unbeaten 300, too, in a club game for Lindisfarne; then, irked by opposition attempts to thwart him reaching his triple, immediately ripped out 7 for 29.

Watson remains the cleanest of hitters and, several remodelled actions later, decidedly sharp with the ball. Back at home in Queensland (he hated the cold), he is the hot tip to become Australia's next champion allrounder - not least in the opinion of Australia's last one. "He has all the attributes," noted Alan Davidson in 2002. "A fine physical specimen, good athlete; just give him time." Picked for his first Test in 2004-05, he landed face-down after his opening delivery before finding his feet with Younis Khan's wicket and 31 runs. He didn't play in Australia's Ashes defeat, but his stock rose in the aftermath, as Andrew Flintoff highlighted the benefits of a genuine allrounder. The following season was ruined by a partial dislocation of his shoulder while fielding just minutes after his second Test wicket against West Indies, and he watched his good mate Andrew Symonds fill in during his rehabilitation.

Picked for the one-day tour of South Africa, he missed a return to the Test squad, but a fine 201 in the Pura Cup final demolition of Victoria eased the pain. Locked into Australia's one-day team as an opener - he survived food poisoning, which he feared was a heart attack, during a strong Champions Trophy campaign - and lined up as the Test allrounder, he was again floored when his body faltered. A persistent hamstring injury destroyed his Ashes dreams and he heads to the World Cup with nagging doubts over his wonky fitness.