Graham McKenzie

Graham McKenzie's easy approach and well-oiled action were deceptive: he hit the pitch, the bat, and sometimes batters, very hard indeed. Picked on his first Ashes tour as a teenager in 1961, he impressed at once with his pace and poise; nothing seemed to ruffle him, although when stirred, he possessed a wicked bouncer. By the age of 23, he had 100 Test wickets; by 27 he had 200 - this despite a general lack of support and an era of benign pitches. He took three ten-wicket bags in Tests, all in wins - two against India, in Madras and Melbourne, and the third in an innings victory over West Indies in 1968, also at the MCG, which featured his career-best figures of 8 for 71. Overwork, however, finally took its toll, and he renounced Test cricket - only two wickets short of the Australian wicket record then held by Richie Benaud - in favour of county cricket with Leicestershire. In 1975, his last year at Grace Road, they won the Championship for the first time.