Bruce Reid was a tall, gangling left-arm pace bowler who made his debut alongside Merv Hughes and Geoff Marsh in 1985-86 when Australia were at a low ebb. Able to straighten the ball in to the right-hander as well as slant it away, and with naturally steep bounce, Reid immediately became Australia's mainstay. His crowning achievement was to take 13 wickets against England at Melbourne in 1990-91. His action was described as being "all arms and legs ... like a porn movie without the sex." But his slight frame could not stand up to the rigours of fast bowling. He sustained many injuries, and despite painstaking rehabilitation programmes and several comebacks played his last Test only a year later. His record, though brief, remains impressive.
Greg Baum