Wisden overview
Few cricketers have known such highs and lows as Simon O'Donnell. As a former Australian Rules footballer, a batsman who could hit powerfully and straight, a bowler who muscled the ball down on a length, and darkly handsome to boot, he was for a time a wildly popular player, especially in one-day jousts with the all-conquering West Indies. He was fractionally short of Test class, though five of his six games were on the 1985 Ashes tour. Subsequently, he was found to have cancer, spent a year out of the game in treatment, then returned heroically to lead Victoria to their only Sheffield Shield for 11 years. But when it became apparent that his international career was over he drifted away from cricket. His major interests now are horses and the media. Greg Baum

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