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"Five bowlers I rate highly"
Steve Waugh - 6 March 2001
One of the major reasons for Australia's consistency in Tests is the fact
that they have always been blest with quality bowlers. In the
decade-and-a-half that I have been part of the team, I have had the
privilege of playing alongside some class bowlers. Here are the names of
the five I rate highly, and I have placed them in no particular order.
Shane Warne is perhaps the bowler who brought an enormous interest back
into the game, and is responsible for the re-emergence of leg-spin bowling.
A match-winner Warne combines great variety with mental strength. He has
every delivery in his armory and revels in getting the best batsmen in the
opposition out. Warne possesses tremendous mental stamina and is quick to
work out the weaknesses of the batsman facing him. A reliable bowler, he
rarely errs in accuracy, another exceptional quality for a wrist spinner.
The next bowler I would like to mention is Glenn McGrath. He is a captain's
dream, and once you bring him on, you know what to expect. Reliable and
consistent, he possesses remarkable discipline. He is so accurate that he
hardly ever strays down leg, and also gives the batsmen very little width
to play the cut. McGrath also has a big heart - a prerequisite for pace
bowlers and has thought nothing of playing even while he is carrying an
injury. Like Warne, he is quick to pinpoint the weaknesses in a batsman's
technique and is willing to work for his wickets. McGrath has great
endurance and stamina and is an asset for any captain to have in his side.
I would say of all the pace bowlers I have played with, he is the thinking
man's paceman.
Bruce Reid was in my opinion one of the most gifted bowlers of his time,
but his career was always plagued by injury. Reid possessed great rhythm
for his height, and had a deadly delivery that came into the right-hander
from a tremendous height. Reid was a hard-working bowler and was ready to
bowl long spells even in trying conditions. Deceptively quick, I think Reid
was unlucky to have played fewer Tests than he should have. Injuries hit
him at crucial points in his career.
In choosing the fourth and fifth bowler, I would rather opt for future
stars than for some others who made good contributions in the past. Among
those I rate highly as names to reckon with in the future are Jason
Gillespie and Brett Lee. The most remarkable quality Gillespie possesses
is that it is very hard to pick him out of the hand. Quite naturally, this
makes him that much tougher for batsmen to face. In fact, of all the
bowlers I have faced I find him the toughest to pick. Gillespie is also
extremely accurate and gets the ball to land on the seam. Unlucky injuries
have kept him out of the team for some time, but he is young and I think
the best is yet to come. He is also a captain's bowler and always bowls to
his team's plan.
Brett Lee is another name to watch out for. A charismatic bowler, I think
he will do for pace bowling what Warne did for spin bowling - bring back a
great deal of interest to the art. Lee has a great deal of energy. Couple
that with natural aggression and you get an exciting prospect. Lee is
extremely quick on the uptake, and I have seen him listen to Dennis Lillee
and immediately put the latter's tips to practice. Lee has a great deal of
variety in his bowling and is an outstanding talent. Extremely young, I
think he will soon be one of the most feared bowlers of his generation.
With bowlers like these, getting a side out twice should not be a problem
on almost any surface, and is a major reason for our string of successes.
© Gameplan
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